


Into the Unknown

by PoorSapAdvocate



Category: Coraline - All Media Types, Deltarune (Video Game), Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon & Comics), ParaNorman (2012), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Frisk is a good egg, M/M, Make sad children happy, Meta, Multi, Mystery Kids, Reposted and Edited, Soul Magic, Video Game Mechanics, minor mentions of Rick and Morty, sorry about that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2020-06-23 12:11:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 56,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19701109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoorSapAdvocate/pseuds/PoorSapAdvocate
Summary: 7 human souls to break the barrier. 7 humans who travel through the wood. And perhaps all of them are necessary this time. An Undertale megacrossover series.Updates Fridays (with apologies to schedule slip)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rated a high +K for violence, mild language, horrific elements that may be disturbing to younger readers, mentions of child abuse and bullying, character death that is sometimes permanent, and mentions of suicide that may be triggering. These elements remain relatively unchanged from their source material, which most all are for children, but discretion is advised nonetheless.
> 
> Disclaimer: Undertale was created and owned by Toby Fox. Coraline was created by Neil Gaiman and owned by Bloomsbury and Laika. Over the Garden Wall was created by Patrick McHale and owned by Cartoon Network. Paranorman was created by Sam Fell and Chris Butler and owned by Laika. Gravity Falls was created by Alex Hirsch and owned by Disney. The song "Look Up" was written by Jim Lang for use on Hey Arnold and is owned by Nickelodeon. Any other work mentioned or homage are property of their respective owners. This is a fan-made, nonprofit work that only seeks to entertain. Please support the original franchises.

“it's a beautiful day outside. birds are singing, flowers are blooming...on days like this, kids like you…

**Should be burning in hell.”**

In the back of their mind—because that was all they really could do at the moment—Frisk wondered if sans rehearsed that speech. He said it the same way nearly every time, only changing when he stopped to fire a Gaster Blaster at them halfway through. They knew that he knew about the time loops, but his knowledge came from notebooks and journals meticulously kept for someone so lazy. What memories he had came through nightmares.

In a way, Frisk envied him.

The battle started. Frisk felt their sins crawling along their back. The body moved forward, the soul dodging every attack as best it could, all without Frisk's thought or input. Neither had been Frisk's for a very long time.

sans had stopped his attack. He still dodged theirs, but didn't move otherwise. Sweat poured from his forehead, surprising since he didn't have skin cells.

“uh. hey. you really like swinging that thing around, huh?” The skeleton said. The attack stopped, if only for a second. “listen. friendship. it's really great, huh? let's quit fighting.”

sans was sparing them.

And Frisk so desperately wanted to accept it. Find a way to restart everything from the beginning and be especially good. Their body, however, wasn't listening.

After all that, you still think you're in control?

Something wet was moving on their face. Blood, Frisk reckoned. It couldn't have been their tears if their body wasn't theirs anymore.

sans dodged the slash of the knife.

“well. it was worth a shot, anyway.”

Their soul collided with another attack, and ripped in half.

Game Over

“if we're really friends, you won't come back.”

He was probably right.

* Reset

_One is a Bird_

_An Undertale/Coraline crossover fanfiction_

_By the Poor Sap Advocate_

Chapter 1

When Coraline woke up, she had no idea where she was.

It took her a minute to pull herself off of the cold earth and think back. She had been exploring the new apartments, she remembered that much. Her Dousing Staff had only led her to an old empty well…

She then realized just how dark it was. Her eyes ran to the only source of sunlight in the room: above. She had fallen, she realized. It must have been that old well. Still, she survived.

A pang of worry echoed in the back of her mind, but she couldn’t quite figure out why. This would be a much better place to explore! Perhaps down here she could find something actual of worth, like mice that actually sang and danced, or a talking cat, or…

A golden flower, looking at her with a very confused expression.

“Huh.” The flower said. “I honestly wasn’t expecting that.”

“Wasn’t expecting what?” Coraline asked, equal parts confused and offended.

The flower’s expression changed, as if it thought of something. “Oh, nothing. You’re new to the Underground, aren’t ya? Well, how about I teach you how things work around here?”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, let me show ya!”

The world flickered, like a candle. Coraline’s attention fell to the orange heart hovering in front of her.

“That’s your SOUL!” The flower said. “It’s the very culmination of your being. It can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV.”

“LV?” Coraline repeated.

“Love!” The flower said, as if he weren’t quite sure himself.

A group of white seeds hovered around the flower. “Monsters can share love with you with these…little white friendliness pellets! So go ahead! Catch as many as you can!”

Coraline froze in place as the little white friendliness pellets moved towards her Soul. It didn’t quite feel like love. It hurt quite a bit.

“Wow. You’re just as dumb as they were.” The flower spoke again.

More pellets surrounded Coraline’s SOUL.

“DIE.”

The flower’s laughter stopped abruptly. Coraline looked up from her Soul, no longer surrounded in white. She looked up further, where she saw a figure.

“My, what a loathsome creature, torturing a poor, innocent youth…”

When Frisk woke up, they had no idea where they were.

It took them a minute to realize that their body was theirs again, and they could get up whenever they wanted. When they did, they noticed the room wasn’t one they recognized. It wasn’t the Judgement Hall, like they had feared. It wasn’t the entrance to the Underground, like they had hoped. It was a bedroom, and it looked a lot like Toriel’s.

Remembering what happened to Toriel the last time they had met sent a wave of nausea over Frisk. They reached for a SAVE file.

Nothing happened.

Had they ever Saved in Toriel’s house? They couldn’t quite remember. Frisk had never stayed around in Toriel’s house long enough.

This wasn’t Toriel’s house, they realized. It looked a lot like it, but it wasn’t quite right. There was no basket full of shoes that had not been worn for ages. The toys lacked the layer of dust, like they had been used recently. Smells of butterscotch and cinnamon and fire magic didn’t hover in the air.

Something was wrong.

Frisk bolted from the room and rushed to where they knew Toriel would be. Her reading chair. She was always in her reading chair, no matter what timeline Frisk found themselves in.

They found Toriel in the kitchen.

It was Toriel, unmistakably. The same white fur, if a little brighter, the same purple tunic, if a bit nicer-kept, and the same motherly aura about her. Yet she was different. Her Soul, Frisk realized, was different. They didn’t quite know how, or even how they knew; the first time they had ever analyzed a Soul was when they first entered the Underground, and things haven’t changed much since then.

When she turned around from the stove, Frisk realized the biggest different. Two, black button eyes.

“Hello my child,” She spoke. “Did you sleep okay?”

Frisk fought to keep a straight face. Their hands shook as they signed, though that was often the case. They weren’t sure if they had signed that correctly, or even if it was spelled correctly. They had never thought of a nickname for Toriel that was easier to sign, and now they weren’t sure if they were allowed to.

The thing that was not Toriel’s face contorted, for just a second, into confusion. Frisk recognized the face easily. Few people they spoke to knew sign language. Even less would sign back to them. Toriel was the first, and one of the only.

“Oh. I’m the Other Toriel, my child.” She said. She didn’t sign back. Once Toriel figured it out, they would always sign as they spoke.

“Everyone has an other mother,” the Other Toriel continued. “I thought this form would be more…acceptable to you.”

That one was true. Frisk may have never thought of Toriel as their mother (only once. They wouldn’t let themselves do it again.), but even Jerry was preferable to their real mother. If this other Toriel had thought that far ahead, then perhaps they were nice?

“Now then, why don’t you go wash up and find your other father, so we can have dinner?” the Other Toriel said as she worked on carving the pie. “It’s been a long time since you’ve had a proper meal, hasn’t it?”

Toriel was married? _This_ Toriel was married? Frisk had never seen another person in the house…or really anyone Toriel interacted that wasn’t sans. But the idea of a proper meal, especially one that wasn’t made of dust and magic, was too pleasing for Frisk to turn down.

Frisk poked their head over the Other Toriel’s shoulder, just quick enough to see what the pie was made of.

Butterscotch-Cinnamon Pie

At least it isn’t snails. Does not heal, but is part of a balanced breakfast.

Even when they were at their worst, Toriel’s pie always healed. They wondered if the Other Toriel just didn’t get the recipe right.

The figure in front of Coraline looked equal parts goat and equal parts human, standing on two feet yet covered in white fur. Despite her rather impressive size, the sharpness of her teeth, and the two horns on her head, she seemed to be doing everything in her power to appear non-threatening.

“Do not be afraid, child. I am Toriel, the caretaker of these Ruins.” She spoke.

Toriel bent down and offered Coraline a hand. Coraline took it, if only to pull herself back up.

“I come through these Ruins every day to see if anyone has fallen down.” Toriel continued. “You are the first human to come down here in a long time. Allow me to guide you through the catacombs.”

If she held onto Toriel’s hand a little longer, she didn’t realize. And Toriel didn’t let go until Coraline did.

Frisk found the Other Toriel’s husband outside the house. He was a large goat-like monster like she was, with bigger horns on his head, a wilder mane, and a rather well-kept beard. He even wore a similar tunic to Toriel’s, but for some reason Frisk couldn’t understand, it looked out of place on him. Like the Other Toriel, his eyes were big black buttons, carefully sewn in.

But what Frisk noticed first was the garden. Outside of Toriel’s house was rather dry, with only one old tree where the leaves fell off the second they could grow. Here, the ground was nearly covered in lush greens, with only a walkway of stone to interrupt it. Flowers blossomed from every corner of the yard; bright blues and deep reds. The tree was ripe with flowers of all sorts, yet there were still plenty of fall leaves around it that Frisk could jump into if they choose to. And there was sky, dark and covered in stars.

No golden flowers were in the garden, although the real Underground was full of them. Frisk wondered if that was intentional.

“Is someone there?” The other monster asked. “Just a moment. I have to finish watering these flowers…Here we are!”

He stood and turned to them. He towered over the child, but they weren’t intimidated. Rather, they were curious. He looked familiar, in a way that Frisk couldn’t describe. They had seen him before, but not in a Reset. And if it wasn’t a Reset, they had no idea where else he could have come from. The phrase “Mr. Dad Guy” entered their mind, but they had no idea why.

“Howdy!” Mr. Dad Guy said. “How may I help you, little one?”

Frisk signed to tell him breakfast was ready. A similar strain of confusion entered the other’s face as he interpreted the signs, but it passed just as quickly as it had with the Other Toriel.

“Let us not keep her waiting then, shall we?” said Mr. Dad Guy.

Mr. Dad Guy walked Frisk back through the house and to a dinner table that Frisk was sure was never in Toriel’s house. Toriel rarely had other people she could eat with. Even they had not eaten directly with Toriel. Pie had always been left in the room when they slept, but that was not a meal and it was not eaten with her.

Maybe the Other Toriel realized this, and that’s why the table was piled with more food than Frisk thought one could make. A golden-roasted chicken, fried potatoes, tiny green peas. Spaghetti covered in a sauce of finely smashed tomatoes, greasy burgers and fries that smelled like Grillby’s, instant noodles, a three-tier cake with _Welcome Home!_ written in icing cursive. Small cars moved along the table, depositing gravy for the meats and ketchup for the burgs. A butterscotch-cinnamon pie sitting at the center of it.

“Aren’t you going to eat, young one?” Mr. Dad Guy asked.

With all the Resets, Frisk had forgotten the last time they had a meal of human food. They had forgotten a long time ago what it was like when that food was freely given. They shoveled as much food as they could into their mouth.

“We have been waiting for you for a long time,” the Other Toriel said. “It wasn’t the same without you. But we knew you would come home one day. Perhaps tomorrow you can help your father in the garden. Or I can show you my favorite bug-hunting spot. I can even prepare a curriculum for your education.”

In the end, Toriel didn’t guide Coraline through the entirety of the Ruins. She left her someplace safe, where she could wait while she ran errands. Coraline, however, decided to explore herself. She met Vegetoids and Migosps and a whole variety of creatures she could have never thought of. She bought donuts from a bake sale run by spiders. She would talk to Froggits and Moldsmals, and though they rarely moved beyond hip-wiggling and ribbiting, their conversations were quite meaningful.

She explored the Ruins until she came across a tree where leaves dried off as soon as they grew, and behind that, a house. Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the middle of the Ruins filled Coraline with something, but she wasn’t sure quite was.

She didn’t think of getting closer until she saw Toriel exit, a bag of groceries in her paws.

“My child!” said Toriel. “Did you walk all the way here?”

“It wasn’t too bad,” said Coraline. “I had to do battle with a ghost, but it was okay because I complimented their hat and they let me go.”

The best part of saying that was that Coraline was not making any of that up. The second best part was, though she looked annoyed for just a second at the prospect of anyone fighting Coraline, Toriel laughed and smiled and _believed her._ Her mother never did any of that no matter what kind of story Coraline told. She usually just shrugged her off and told her to do chores.

It was the first time in her time in the Underground that Coraline thought of her mother.

Toriel lead Coraline through the house. She showed her a room she could stay the night in. They had butterscotch cinnamon pie for dinner. Coraline read through old books of monster history until she realized all textbooks were rather dry.

But then Coraline had to think realistically. She had to get back to the Pink Palace.

“Thank you for everything, Miss Toriel, but I really need to get back home,” Coraline said. “How do I leave the Ruins?”

Toriel grew quiet. With her paws shaking, she removed her reading glasses and rose from her chair.

“I’m afraid there is something I must do, little one. Please wait here.”

She left, and then Coraline grew nervous. She followed Toriel, down the stairs of the house and into a dark corridor that didn’t look at all like the tidy home. When she found Toriel, it was in front of a large door.

“You truly wish to return home, do you not?” Toriel asked. “Ahead of us is the exit to the Ruins. And I am going to destroy it. No one will be able to leave again. Now run upstairs.”

“I have to get home! To my real mom and dad!” said Coraline.

“You are just like the others. You come. You leave. You’ll die. He…ASGORE…will find you. I am only doing this to protect you.”

“I can defend myself. I want to get home.”

“Then prove it. Prove you’re strong enough to survive.”

A FIGHT broke out. Toriel blocks the way.

Coraline grew used to the feeling of her Soul leaving her body. However, she was not used to the feeling of monster bullets hurdling towards her. It did not help that Toriel’s bullets were flames, raging with heat as they passed and singing her jacket and Soul as they hit.

Yet Coraline stayed determined. She was perhaps not the best at dodging, but the FIGHTS with the other monsters of the Ruins had prepared her well. It was no different than her father moving around the hornets. She ran through the flames, letting her jacket take what she couldn’t allow her Soul to hit.

“Why are you fighting me?” Coraline asked. “I thought you wanted me to stay safe!”

“I do,” said Toriel. “This is what’s best for you!”

“You think trying to kill me is what’s best for me? How is that different than those monsters you want to protect me from! How is that different than Asgore!”

The flames returned, tenfold. Coraline couldn’t dodge them all.

As she pulled herself off the floor, she looked through Toriel. She looked shocked at her own power, eyes wide and paw covering her mouth.

“Do not compare me to him,” said Toriel. “Just fight already.”

Coraline stood up, but did not move.

“I know you want to go home…but you must understand. I cannot lose another.”

Toriel went down to the entrance of the Underground every day. How many children, Coraline realized, has she seen fall down? How many of them could she not save? How long was it before the last one left?

“Stop looking at me like that,” Toriel said.

She couldn’t.

“Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child.”

“Their deaths aren’t your fault,” said Coraline. “And keeping me here won’t solve anything.”

“I understand. The Ruins are quite small, once you get used to them,” said Toriel. “My expectations, my loneliness, my fear…for you, I shall put them aside.”

The FIGHT ended.

“If you truly wish to leave the Ruins, I will not stop you,” Toriel continued. “But please, do not come back. I hope you understand.”

Coraline had no idea what to say about any of this. About the mother in mourning, about respecting someone who attacked her, about having to travel through the world of monsters alone. So she settled for “I did mean it. Thank you for everything you’ve done.” and walked through the door.


	2. Chapter 2

It took Coraline a moment to realize what lay outside the Ruins as the door closed behind her. The air was thick and cold, and as she stepped forward, her rainboots filled with snow. How did it snow underground?

She would have to go through the Underground alone, she realized, and at some point she would have to face whoever ASGORE was. It was going to be a lot more dangerous here on out. The adventure was over.

She tried to focus on something else.

“When I was a little girl,” Coraline started. “When we lived in our old house, my dad took me for a walk in the wastelands between the houses and shops. It wasn’t the best place to go for a walk, really. There were all these things that people had thrown away back there—old cookers and broken dishes and dolls with no arms and legs. Mom and Dad made me promise not to go exploring back there, because there were so many sharp things, and tetanus and such.”

A branch snapped behind her. Coraline continued anyway.

“But I kept telling them I really wanted to explore it. So my dad pulled on his big brown boots and gloves and put on my boots on me, and we went for a walk. We must have walked for about twenty minutes. We went down the hill, down the bottom of a gully where the stream was, when my dad said ‘Coraline, you have to get out of here. Right now!’ He said it in a tight urgent way, so I did. I ran up to the top of the hill when I heard him thundering behind me. He scooped me up into his arms and swept me over the hill.”

“really? what did he do then?”

Coraline nearly jumped as she heard the voice. Seeing who was addressing her didn’t exactly help. A human skeleton her size, looking at her with empty eye sockets.

“woah. you okay there, kid?” The skeleton asked. “i mean, i can’t say i know what ‘jumping out of your skin’ looks like…”

“You’re a skeleton!” Coraline managed to exclaim.

“and you’re not who I was looking for,” said the skeleton. “the name’s sans. sans the skeleton. you're a human, aren’t ya?”

Coraline watched the skeleton carefully. The human skeleton in any form looked more than a little intimidating on principle, yet curiosity quickly overcame that feeling. He was dressed peculiarly; blue sweatshirt and turtleneck to fight off the cold, yet shorts and slippers to make him comfortable. His mouth was stretched thin in a smile, but it hardly moved as he spoke. A thin layer of sweat formed on his brow, impressive considering he didn’t have any skin cells. He looked harmless enough, Coraline decided.

“I’m Coraline.”

“hilarious,” said sans. “listen, kid, we’re on the lookout for humans right now, so you better—”

“SANS!”

“oh geeze…hey, why don’t hide behind that lamp over there?”

Coraline barely had time to process that there was just a lamp on the outskirts of the forest before she dove behind it. Whoever that voice belong to, it did not sound friendly.

“relax, it’ll be fine, just let me—“

Sans stopped. Coraline heard the sound of snow crunching under boots as someone approached.

“sup bro?” sans asked.

“YOU KNOW WHAT’S SUP BROTHER!” The newcomer said. “IT’S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN’T RECALIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES! WHAT DO YOU EVEN DO OUT HERE?”

“look at this lamp,” said sans. “pretty cool, ain’t it?”

“YES, IT IS VERY…SANS, WHAT IS THAT?”

Coraline froze.

“what? it’s just a lamp, isn’t it?”

“SOMETHING WAS MOVING BEHIND THAT LAMP! “ said the newcomer. “SANS, ARE YOU HIDING A HUMAN FROM ME?”

“uh…yeah.”

“GREAT!” The other person cleared their throat before continuing. “ATTENTION, HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! AFTER THAT! I’M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENS! IN ANY CASE, CONTINUE…ONLY IF YOU DARE! NYEH HEH HEH!”

The sounds of crunching snow grew fainter and fainter. Coraline only removed herself once it stopped completely.

“sorry about that,” sans said. “my brother can get a bit excited.”

“He said he was going to kidnap me!” said Coraline.

“relax. my bro won’t hurt anyone,” said sans. “i'll keep an eyesocket out for you.”

“You promise?” Coraline asked.

“cross my soul and hope to die,” said sans. “c’mon kid, if i were lying, you’d see right through me.”

Coraline made a face.

“what? no good? c’mon kid, you gotta work with me. i’ve been working hard to make up some puns. you could say I’ve been working myself…

* * *

Frisk woke up in the room in Toriel’s house again. They did not remember spending as much time in her house. Once they had tried to crawl back into bed and sleep everything off, but they were never able to fall asleep with Toriel’s dust on their hands.

But this wasn’t the same Toriel. It was the Other Toriel. It was a whole other world they could start to explore. Maybe this could be the start of a whole other Frisk.

At the thought, they jumped out of bed and raced into the living room. The Other Toriel was in the kitchen again, this time making a breakfast as extravagant as dinner was the night before.

“Good morning my child,” said the Other Toriel. “Did you sleep well?”

Frisk nodded as they grabbed a Spider Donut off the table. It didn’t heal and it was more crunchy than usual, but it was good all the same.

“I was thinking today you might like to explore around the house,” said the other Toriel. “Or maybe you could help your father in the garden.”

Frisk did not know how to sign explore, so they gestured for the first one.

“I thought so,” said the Other Toriel. “Make sure to eat enough, my child. I’ve invited someone special to show you around.”

The second Frisk finished their meal, there was a knock on the door. The other Toriel excused herself for just a minute to let them in. Frisk froze as they saw the white skull and blue hoodie. Their sins crawled along their back.

“hey, relax kid, it’s just me.”

The voice was sans’, but not. It did not have that… _thing_ , that sans’ voice always had even at his scariest. Frisk allowed themselves to look up, and saw two black buttons where eye sockets should be.

“sans has offered to show you around,” said the other Toriel.

“yeah. my bro’s got some cool puzzles he wants to show ya,” said the sans.

It took Frisk a moment to get their heart or soul or whatever to stop racing. It was the _other_ sans. Not _that_ sans. Even if it were that sans, he wasn’t the one they should be afraid of.

Frisk decided to follow the other sans.

* * *

ABSOLUTELY NO MOVING

Coraline continued anyway.

“Did somebody move?” A voice asked.

That was what made her freeze.

A figure popped out from behind the station. It was as much dog as Toriel was goat, with a dog treat dangling out of its mouth. It moved closer to Coraline on hind legs, and looked closely. Its eyes were dull with age, the same way Miss Spink and Miss Forcible’s were, and when it looked, it looked through Coraline.

Doggo blocks the way. Coraline didn’t move.

“Could’ve sworn I saw something move,” said the dog. It grabbed one of the swords off its back and spun it in its hands experimentally.

Coraline didn’t dare to move. Even as the sword glowed a light blue and the dog monster ran it through her.

She didn’t move even as she realized she wasn’t hurt after that. The dog monster removed his gaze from her, and instead looked at his sword.

“Guess it’s just my imagination,” said the dog. “Swear I don’t get paid enough for this…”

It turned, and Coraline found it in herself to move. She reached out for it, barely scratching its thick fur.

“WHAT!” It exclaimed. “I’VE BEEN PET! BY SOEMTHING THAT ISN’T MOVING! …I’M GONNA NEED MORE DOG TREATS FOR THIS!”

It scrambled back into the sentry station, and as soon as Coraline knew she was alone, she let herself laugh.

“heya kiddo.”

sans stood in front of her. Coraline knew for a fact he was not there a second ago.

“here’s something important to remember,” said sans. “next time you see someone attack with a blue attack, don’t move and it won’t hurt you.”

“I think I’ve figured that out,” said Coraline.

“oh? Doggo give you a bad time?” sans asked.

“To be honest, I probably gave him a worse time,” said Coraline.

“yeah. Doggo’s great, but his eyes aren’t what they used to be,” said sans. “thinking of getting him a seeing eye dog.”

Coraline laughed at the idea, before realizing sans was serious. Or at least, he was as serious as he usually was.

“Say, why didn’t you try and tell me this before I got to Doggo?” She asked.

“oh?”

Sans looked her way. The lights in his eyes flickered.

“i wanted to see what you would do,” he said.

Coraline didn’t know what to say to that. This time, she really could not tell whether he was joking or not.

“don’t let it get to your head, kid,” said sans. “just think blue stop signs. it’ll come in handy if you ever try to fight my brother. though, uh, let me give you a word of advice about fighting my brother…Don’t.”

Sans left as quickly as he arrived, and Coraline didn’t know what to think.

* * *

The division between the other world’s Ruins and the other world’s Snowdin was firm and sudden, as purple floor tiles and flowers divided with snow and puzzle tiles in an even line. Frisk tried not to pay it any mind. It was much like that in the real Underground.

What Frisk was more curious about were the puzzle tiles. They lay across the snow haphazardly, as if whoever was setting them up had no idea how puzzles were supposed to work. At the center of it stood a skeleton with a bright orange scarf and black button eyes.

“sup bro?”

“YOU KNOW WHAT’S SUP BROTHER! I CAN’T SEEM TO RECALIBRATE THESE PUZZLES PROPERLY.” The other Papyrus’ attention turned to Frisk. “HELLO SMALL HUMAN. PERHAPS YOU HAVE SOME ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO WITH THESE PUZZLES?”

Frisk had not read _Advanced Puzzle Construction for Developing Minds_ , so they shrugged.

“WHAT? YOU DON’T KNOW EITHER?” said the other Papyrus. “THEN WHO IS GOING TO SET UP THESE PUZZLES?”

“don’t sweat it, bro,” The other sans said. “not like we need to set these puzzles for humans anymore.”

“YOU’RE RIGHT! THE HUMAN IS RIGHT HERE!” said the other Papyrus. “AND THERE’S NO REASON TO HOLD THEM AGAINST THEIR WILL. ANYMORE.”

“right. thinking bout taking the kid to Undyne’s for lunch,” said the other sans. “could you get to work on that project we were talking about?”

“OH. YES. THAT THING,” said the other Papyrus. “I WILL GET RIGHT TO WORK ON THAT, WHILE THE HUMAN IS AWAY. WINK.”

The black button eyesocket of the Other Papyrus twitched, as if he were actually trying to wink. He ruffled Frisk’s hair before he ran through the snow in the other direction.

“so, ready to go meet Undyne kid?” the other sans asked.

Frisk made a face. No matter what they did, they never recalled Undyne being friendly with them. At a point where she wouldn’t throw a spear at them, maybe, but never friendly.

“hey, relax kid. this is the Other Undyne,” said the other sans. “she won’t hurt ya if she knows what’s good for her. she was actually looking forward to teaching you how to cook.”

Frisk gave the other sans a curious look.

“what, you didn’t know that?” the other sans asked. “Undyne’s taught my brother nearly everything he knows, even in this world.”

That didn’t exactly comfort Frisk.

“if you want, we can just drop in and play it by ear,” said the other sans. “i imagine you know how to do that better than me.”

Frisk giggled at the pun, and allowed the other sans to lead them.

The trip through the other Snowdin Town was as easy and abrupt as the trip through the Ruins. Before Frisk knew it, they were standing in front of a house from Waterfall that they recognized but never stepped in. Piano music poured from the open windows. Frisk didn’t remember that. sans gave a few raps on the door. It swung open before he could finish the third.

The Undyne that stood in the doorway looked a lot different than what Frisk remembered. Even beyond the button eye, they couldn’t recall ever seeing Undyne outside of her heavy armor.

“Heya punks! Ready for your cooking lesson?” The other Undyne asked, her button eye narrowed down at the child in a way that looked more intimidating than it felt.

“nah. think i’ll sit this one out. kid's raring to go, though,” said the other sans. “is Alphys around?”

“She headed out with Mettaton and his cousin,” said the other Undyne. “They’re trying to find out the perfect scientific strategy to playing Thundersnail so they can play it with the human later.”

For a house that supposedly belonged to Undyne, it was rather cozy. It was well kept, with only a table full of tea pots and cups a sign that it had been used at all. The piano continued to play itself, two mechanical hands reaching around to hit the keys.

“Now then, let’s start with your warrior training!”

* * *

It’s the Greater Dog.

Sure, with the suit of armor, the Greater Dog towered over Coraline and was nearly double her width. Without it, however, it was just a dog. Dogs were easy to handle, Coraline realized.

“Come here boy!” She beckoned.

The Greater Dog raced towards her, flicking slobber into her face. Coraline reached down to make a snowball. She tossed it as far as she could. It splattered on the ground. The Greater Dog responded by bringing all of the snow he could catch in his mouth and bringing it to her.

Now dog is tired…the Greater Dog jumped from its armor and rested its head on her. Coraline reached out to pet it. Unlike the other dogs, the Greater Dog relaxed under Coraline’s hand, and sunk its weight into her. It fired a few magic bullets into the air as it flopped on its back.

The Greater Dog is contented. It jumped back to its feet and gave Coraline a long lick across her face before jumping back into its armor. It walked away, its tail sticking out through the headhole.

It took Coraline a minute to stop laughing. As she did, she saw what lay ahead. A small town, visible only through house lights, connected to her with a bridge. Awaiting on the other side were two familiar skeletons.

“BEHOLD, HUMAN!” said Papyrus. “THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!”

A series of traps suddenly surrounded Coraline as the gauntlet activated.

“WHEN I SAY THE WORD,” said Papyrus “IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE!!! CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN!”

“What will the dog do?” Coraline asked.

“YOU KNOW??? I’M NOT SURE???” said Papyrus. “BUT ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN!! NOW BRACE YOURSELF HUMAN!!! BECAUSE I!”

Coraline looked around wildly for anything she could use to save herself. Even sans looked like he wasn’t sure what to do. Perhaps she could grab onto the other side of the bridge and swing to safety…

“AM! ABOUT!”

But if she did that, she would have to scale the rest of the mountain…

“TO DO IT!”

Nothing happened.

“well?” asked sans. “what’s the holdup?”

“HOLDUP!? WHAT HOLDUP!? I’M…”

Papyrus looked unsure.

“WELL, IT SEEMS THIS CHALLENGE MAY BE TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMAN WITH,” said Papyrus. “YEAH!!! I AM A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS, AND MY PUZZLES ARE ALWAYS EXPERTLY COOKED! THIS ONE SIMPLY WON’T DO!”

The Gauntlet of Deadly Terror was removed.

“WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?” Papyrus asked. “ANOTHER DECSICIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS! NYEH! HEH! …Heh?”

He was gone before Coraline could ask any more questions.

* * *

Undye’s cooking, surprisingly, turned out to be edible. In fact, much like everything Frisk had found in the otherworld, it was the most delicious thing they had ever tasted. What made it even better was that Frisk got to make it themselves. Undyne had been surprisingly patient with teaching them how to cook. Though her method involved throwing a lot of spears, far less things caught on fire than Frisk had anticipated.

The other sans lead them back to the Snowdin area, where the snow had grown so high that the other sans had to pick them up so they wouldn’t sink right through. He helped carry them up one of the taller snow poffs, where the Other Papyrus awaited with his racecar bed.

“SO THE HUMAN ARRIVES,” said the other Papyrus. “ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR TOTALLY COOL TOUR PRESENTED BY YOURS TRULY?”

Frisk jumped in the bed as fast as they could. The bed shook under the added weight, and dipped down the hill.

The wind kicked up around Frisk’s face as the racecar bed cruised down the hillside. The bed jumped into the air after hitting a snow poff, and a sail mechanism sprung up by their feet to keep the bed hovering. They sailed over luminescent flowers and tranquil waters of the Waterfall. They sailed over the lava pools in the Hotlands and the mechanics of the Core. The racecar kept sailing.

Frisk’s interested piqued. They had never seen what lay beyond the hallways connecting Hotlands to New Home. They could make out a few buildings against the backdrop and the golden tiles of the Judgement Hall.

The sled fell, and there was nothing. The world that was began to fade away, as if someone had taken an eraser to a drawing. Gold floor panels faded into yellow flecks, and then into dots on a screen, and then nothing.

And Frisk was alone.

They called for help.

“Hush! And shush! Say nothing, for the Beldam may be listening…”

* * *

The fog grew deep. Coraline swallowed hard and fought through it. Even as her vision got covered in white, she could make something out in the distance.

Something blocks the way.

“HUMAN. ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS.”


	3. Chapter 3

“NYOO HOO HOO…” Papyrus cried. “I CAN’T EVEN STOP SOMEONE AS WEAK AS YOU…UNDYNE’S GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME. I’LL NEVER JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD…AND…MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL REMAIN STAGNANT!”

Coraline watched the skeleton, unsure of what to do. Papyurs had been a much harder fight than she had anticipated, even with sans’ warning. If she lost, she may have never been able to see home again. Yet she couldn’t help but feel a stir of pity for Papyrus. It was the same kind of pity that stirred in her soul when she thought of Toriel. Toriel deserved a second chance. Maybe Papyrus did too.

“You know,” Coraline said. “When I get back to the Surface, I won’t be going back home.”

Papyrus stopped crying long enough to listen.

“I haven’t been to my real home in a long time,” said Coraline. “My family and I moved to a new home, the Pink Palace.”

“IS THAT NEAR THE KING’S HOUSE?” Papyrus asked.

“No. It’s like a set of houses,” said Coraline. “My family isn’t the only ones who live there. There’s Miss Forcible and Miss Spink, and Mr. Bobinski and the mice he’s training to sing.”

“ARE THEY ANY GOOD?”

“I’ve never heard them. But so far, they’re the only ones who’ve gotten my name right.” Coraline said. “I haven’t been able to make a single friend since I moved to the Pink Palace. Maybe…you would like to be my first?”

Papyrus turned back to her.

“REALLY!? YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE FRIENDS WITH ME???” He asked. “WELL…I GUESS I CAN MAKE AN ALLOWANCE JUST FOR YOU! WOWIE! WHO KNEW THAT ALL I NEEDED TO MAKE PALS…WAS TO GIVE PEOPLE AWFUL PUZZLES AND THEN FIGHT THEM??”

* * *

Something cold moved against Frisk’s cheeks, as gentle as moth’s wings. A voice, barely a whisper, spoke.

“Art thou—art thou alive?”

Frisk nodded.

“You poor child,” said another voice.

Frisk tilted their head in confusion.

“She left us here,” said yet another voice. “She stole our hearts and stole our souls. But she forgot about us in the dark. She has worked so hard to find a place to keep you that she has forgotten a place to keep us.”

“I walked through the scullery door,” said the first voice. “And I found myself in the parlor. But she was waiting for me. She called herself my other mamma, but I never saw my real mamma again.”

Frisk took a shaky breath as they realized what they were saying.

“It is the eyes that go first,” said the third voice. “She will steal your soul and she will take your life and all you cares’t for, and leave you in the mist and fog.”

“Flee!” said the second voice. “Flee, while there’s still air in your lungs and blood in your veins and warmth in your heart!”

The nothingness stopped. Hard stone began to form under Frisk’s feet, and Echo Flowers sprouted in the cracks. Lights, not quite stars, formed in the ceiling. A wooden bench formed in front of them. It almost looked like a room in Waterfall. Frisk wondered if it was supposed to be a room out of Waterfall that they never found.

“We must stay in the darkness,” said the first voice, their voice growing fainter than ever. “Flee while you can, but peradventure, you can find our souls…”

Frisk was alone again. They took a seat on the park bench that had formed, ignoring the rush of memories that came with it.

The Other Toriel was going to hurt them. There was no reason to doubt it.

So why did Frisk feel like the real monster?

Their foot collided with something. Frisk was shaken out of their reverie long enough to investigate. It was some kind of food, something like a quiche, somewhat burned and wrapped in foil.

“I just couldn’t handle the responsibility,” said the Echo Flower next to it.

Frisk understood.

* * *

The shift from Snowdin Town to the Waterfall was abrupt. It was almost like Coraline had stepped into a different room. The snow quickly melted off and faded into cold earth beneath them. The cold air grew damp, and for the first time Coraline really felt like they were in the underground.

There was one thing familiar about the Waterfall, however. There was a wooden sentry station, the same kind sans had manned. It even smelled like sans’, Coraline realized, ketchup and grills.

Her stomach rumbled, and she realized the last thing she had to eat was some of Papyrus’ spaghetti. Maybe sans’ food was halfway edible.

She moved into the sentry station. True to her suspicious, it was filled with bottles of ketchup and boxes of buns. The hot dog itself, however, was…water sausage? Not something edible, at least.

The only other thing inside was a small journal, worn with use. Coraline flipped through it absently. The pages were filled, either in a language she couldn’t read or with formulas that made her head spin. She settled on one page. A drawing of a human child, detailed rather well for someone as lazy as sans. Underneath was scrawled don’t trust them, the don’t cross out heavily and the trust them underlined several times.

“heya kid.”

Coraline nearly jumped at sans’ voice. She hadn’t heard him approach again.

“though you might like your raincoat back. you won’t have much use for that sweater through waterfall.”

Coraline had nearly forgotten about the sweater. “Thanks for letting me use it. I think one of Papyrus’ attacks may have cut it a bit.”

“oh? you fought my bro?”

There was a tenseness in his voice, Coraline noticed. The kind that sounded like he didn’t know what to think. She looked up at him, and noticed his smile stretch ever so slightly.

“He challenged me so he could capture me,” Coraline said. “I convinced him that we could be friends.”

“ah,” sans said. “yeah. my bro’s pretty cool like that. hope he didn’t give you a bad time.”

Coraline grew silent for a minute as she watched sans. He un-tensed, but only slightly. His eyesockets were still firmly focused on Coraline, in a way that she could not read. She felt her sins crawling on her back.

“Say, sans, am I the first human in the Underground?” Coraline asked.

The lights in sans’ eyes flickered for only a moment.

“nah. not that many that i’ve heard of, though,” said sans. “not sure what happened to the others.”

“Did your brother capture them?” Coraline asked.

“no. paps was a baby bones the last time a human came through here,” said sans. “hey, humans get hungry, right? care to pry me from my work and go to Grillby’s with me?

“I think I ought to get going,” said Coraline.

“alright. just let me know if you change your mind,” said sans. “i’ll be slaving away here at my checkpoint.”

“I thought your checkpoint was in front of the Ruins?” Coraline asked.

“what? you’ve never seen a guy with two jobs before?” sans asked.

Coraline waited until he had sat down at his checkpoint before waving to him and leaving. She did not feel the eye sockets leave her until she was far away.

If sans had never seen another human before, then who had he drawn in the journal? Did Papyrus not being old enough to capture a human make _him_ not old enough to capture a human? Had the other human been captured, and if so, what became of them?

Coraline was so lost in her thoughts that she hardly noticed herself wander into the thick grass until it encompassed her vision. Every blade was at least as tall as she was, and it was impossible to see around it. She took another step forward.

“HELLO UNDYNE. I’M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT,” said Papyrus.

Coraline froze. She could not hear who he was talking to, but it was impossible to mistake his voice.

“UHHH…REGARDING THAT HUMAN I INFORMED YOU ABOUT EARLIER…HUH? DID I FIGHT THEM? Y-YES! OF COURSE I DID! I FOUGHT THEM VERY VALIANTLY! …WHAT? DID I CAPTURE THEM…W-WELL, NO…I TRIED VERY HARD, UNDYNE, BUT IN THE END…I FAILED. W-WHAT? YOU’RE GOING TO FIND THEM? BUT UNDYNE! YOU DON’T HAVE TO DESTRYO THEM! YOU SEE…I SEE. I WILL HELP YOU OUT IN ANY WAY I CAN.”

Papyrus hadn’t helped her at all. She was still going to be captured. That is, unless she did something about it first.

Coraline dared not to move until she heard a set of footsteps fade off into the distance. Then she ran, as fast as she could. She did not slow down even as she heard a set of footsteps behind her.

* * *

"�ÓåÝÒRZ(g�ë �‘?"

Frisk jumped at the voice. No…‘voice’ was not quite the right word for it. It was a set of sounds, vaguely in a patter that sounded like human speech, but mechanical and lifeless.

All of a sudden, Frisk was not alone. The new person towered over them, even taller than Toriel was. Its body was covered in a heavy black cloak, the inside in a constant state of motion that made Frisk’s head spin. His face looked more like a worn mask, with two holes pouring into an eye and mouth.

Somehow, the figure managed to convey an expression of mild embarrassment. It raised its hands, nothing but bone and with two holes coming out of its palms.

It moved its hands closer, and Frisk flinched away from it. It took them a minute to realize how the hands moved.

_Child?_ It signed. _Are you all right?_

Frisk didn’t know what to say. They raised their hands to sign. To wipe away the tears that were threatening to burst from their eyes. To do anything.

_How did you come about here, child?_ The monster asked.

Frisk didn’t know what to say. They settled for making a gesture that looked as if they dropped something.

_Lost?_ The monster asked. _How did you end up lost in this world?_

_Lost me,_ Frisk said.

The monster looked like they didn’t know what to say to that. Their hands trembled slightly as they signed again.

_I am here for much the same reasons,_ they said.

Their face did not show expression, but somehow Frisk could tell they were stepping in sensitive territory. They decided to change the subject.

_What’s your name?_ Frisk asked.

_It has been a long time since I have needed a name._ The monster answered.

_Everyone needs a name, even if you have to make one up yourself,_ said Frisk _. My name’s F-R-I-S-K, but I haven’t been using that one for very long._

The monster let out a set of noises that almost, _almost_ , sounded like a chuckle.

_In life, I was known as W-D G-A-S-T-E-R. You may call me that, if you wish,_ They signed.

_Are you a skeleton monster, WD?_ They asked.

Gaster nodded.

_I’ve met a few skeleton monsters. P-A-P-Y-R-U-S and S-A-N-S,_ Frisk said. _You remind me a lot of S-A-N-S._

Gaster stopped his walking. He signed something, so quick and with so many unfamiliar signs that Frisk couldn’t catch it. He caught on to their confusion, and asked again.

_You have met S-A-N-S?_ He asked, his movements slow and fluid.

Frisk’s hands were shaking too much to sign back, so they nodded.

_He is well?_

kids like you…should be burning in hell.

_I think I hurt him,_ Frisk said, once they managed to get their hands to stop shaking.

_I believe I have too,_ Gaster let out a noise like a sigh.

* * *

Coraline ran through the Waterfall. She ran past the waterfall carrying rocks she had to dodge, ran through the puzzles that were supposed to be solved with bridge flowers, and ran over the boarded piers that connected areas of Waterfall to others. She only stopped running when she caught a ferry ride on a monster’s face. She got three gold in return.

Undyne continued to chase her.

Waterfall grew dark, but Coraline continued to run. More piers awaited her in complex patterns, making makeshift walkways for the citizens of Waterfall to get from house to house. Spears shot from the ground under her.

Undyne was getting closer.

Coraline dodged the spears that blocked her path. She ran until she could not run anymore.

Undyne was right behind her.

Coraline hardly noticed the bridge stop until it broke, already far worn from the effect of dozens of spears. Then she fell.

* * *

_I understand you are hurt,_ said Gaster, _but this place is not safe. There are many things here that will not hesitate to hurt you._

_I know,_ Frisk admitted. _But I don’t think I can go back._

Gaster did not say anything after that.

_WD? What do you do when you hurt someone, but want to fix it?_ Frisk asked.

Gaster thought for a long time.

_You do everything you can to prove you are better than that, I suppose,_ said Gaster.

* * *

Coraline woke up to the sounds of the phone Toriel gave her. She answered, not thinking about who would be trying to contact.

“HELLO!!! THIS IS PAPYRUS!!!”

Coraline remembered what happened the last time she saw Papyrus. “How did you get this number?”

“WELL, I DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS!!! BUT THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW! I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION!”

“Does it have anything to do with Undyne?” Coraline asked.

“YES!!!” Papyrus said. “YOU ARE QUITE ASTUTE FOR A HUMAN!!! HAVE YOU MET UNDYNE YET!?”

“No. But I did hear you talking to her about me,” said Coraline. “I thought you didn’t want to capture me anymore!”

“I DON’T! BUT YOU SEE…” said Papyrus. “UNDYNE’S OPINION OF YOU IS QUITE…MURDERY. I THOUGHT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO LEAD UNDYNE OFF YOUR TRAIL BY WORKING AGAINST HER!!! THAT WAY, YOU CAN STILL MAKE IT TO THE BARRIER WITHOUT DYING AND I WILL STILL HAVE MY FRIENDS!”

The anger in Coraline’s soul faded away. She couldn’t be mad at someone who was genuinely trying their best.

“It’s a little late for that,” said Coraline. “Undyne’s already spotted me.”

“DRAT. BEING FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE IS HARD!” Papyrus said. “BUT DO NOT WORRY, HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL ENDEAVOR TO COOK UP A PLAN TO GET YOU TWO ON BETTER TERMS! THAT WAY, MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL CONTINUE TO FLOURISH!!! NYEH HEH HEH!!!”

He hung up before Coraline could answer back.

* * *

They found themself back in the Judgement Hall. A figure lay before them. The bells chimed.

_So you finally made it._

_If we were really friends, you wouldn’t come back._

Frisk shook away the bad feelings. They weren’t going to be judged. They were going to make everything better.

“heya kid. wow, you got tossed pretty far, didn’t ya?” the other sans asked. “you won’t tell your mother about this, would ya?”

Frisk shook their head and joined the other sans.

“yeah. let’s get home kiddo,” said the other sans. “say, let ya wear my jacket back for 5 gold.”

Frisk decided to decline. They didn’t say anything until they were firmly out of the New Home area of the Other World.

_s-a-n-s, what do you think of other T-o-r-i-a-l?_ They asked.

The other sans slowed down. Sweat began to form on his skull.

“well, she’s great, y’know?” said the other sans. “she made all of this, just for you, after all.”

_I think I need to go back to the Underground for a bit, and I want to know how to ask her,_ Frisk said.

“oh, is that all?” said the other sans. He didn’t sound relieved. “well, the best way to get her to do anything is to challenge her to a game. she won’t turn ya down.”

_What kind of game?_ Frisk asked.

“well, you could always have a finding game,” said the other sans. “there are a lot of things here she kept hidden. just make sure you know what to look for. if you ever need a hint, i’ll be willing to give you some advice, on the house. think there are a few other monsters that’ll be willing to give you a hand if you can find them. say…past the Judgement Hall?”

_Isn’t that cheating?_ Frisk asked.

“she ain’t above it,” said the other sans. Phalanges tapped on femur nervously. More sweat dripped from the top of his skull.

He was nervous, Frisk realized.

_Thank you sans_ , they signed.

“no problem kiddo,” the other sans said. “i’m rooting for ya.”

They reached the home. The other sans kept his distance as Frisk entered the house, and didn’t turn to leave until they appeared in the window to sign thank you to him again.

Now came the hard part.

They found the Other Toriel in the kitchen again.

“Hello, my child. You were out for longer than I had anticipated,” said the Beldam. “Would you like to talk about it?”

_How do I exit the Ruins?_


	4. Chapter 4

“Why child,” said the Other Toriel. “Whatever do you mean?”

_I need to go back to the Ruins_ , Frisk signed again. _How do I leave?_

The Other Toriel took too long to interpret Frisk’s signs. It was easy to tell when she was done. Her face became unreadable. Her body leaned into the counter. Fingers rapped rhythmically against the counter.

“I see,” said the Other Toriel in a way that showed that she did see but did not like it.

_How about we play a game,_ Frisk signed, _and see if I can’t find it?_

“That, perhaps, would be too easy,” said the Other Toriel. “So how about this? I will hide three objects in the treasures I created for you. If you can find it before time runs out, I’ll let you leave.”

If I lose? Frisk asked.

“Then you stay here,” said the Other Toriel. “That sounds fair, doesn’t it?”

_I won’t leave? At all?_ asked Frisk.

The Other Toriel didn’t say anything. That was answer enough. And if what the other sans said was any indication, then staying with her wouldn’t be safe. But Frisk was determined to fix things.

*File SAVED

Frisk nodded. They waited for the other Toriel to say something else, but when they looked up at her, she was gone. The sounds of tapping fingers were replaced by the sounds of a dripping faucet.

It was time that Frisk got ready. The other Toriel had created the whole other world, but she mentioned three treasures. That meant something here was different, beyond the people. Frisk had gone through the Underground enough to memorize it—it wouldn’t be that hard to find something different.

But the other sans had said that she wouldn’t play nice. That was what Frisk had to prepare for.

They reequipped their Stick and Bandage, added some of the leftover food in the house to their inventory, and left the house.

* * *

The chase with Coraline had not ended when Papyrus called them. That was hardly the beginning. The chase continued through the Waterfall and into a new area called Hotland.

And Undyne continued to chase her until she got to the new area Hotland. Until she stopped.

Coraline hardly noticed the end of the chase until she heard the sound of heavy armor meeting with the ground. She turned back to Undyne, who was now against the ground.

In that moment, any ill will she had against Undyne faded away. Coraline’s mind raced to think of anything she could do to help. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a water cooler. Before she could even think on why there was a water cooler present, it occurred to her. Undyne was a fish monster. She probably couldn’t breathe in Hotland. The mass of heavy armor wasn’t exactly helping.

Coraline raced over to the water cooler, filled up a cup as fast as she could, and tossed it onto Undyne’s face.

At first, Coraline wasn’t sure if it had helped at all. However, as the water hit Undyne’s gills, she began to stir again. She pulled herself back up and glanced directly at Coraline. A world of emotions passed through Undyne’s eyes, not all that Coraline read. Just as Coraline thought she had to run away again, Undyne turned around and walked away.

* * *

The first treasure was easy enough to figure out. The Other World was very much like the Underground, but the Other Toriel mentioned specifically three treasures—things that would be different. The very first one Frisk saw was right outside the door, in the expansive garden that Mr. Dad Guy worked on.

They raced through the flower field, ignoring the snapdragons and tiger lilies that snapped at their feet and tried to catch them in their vines. Frisk had dealt with enough mean flowers to know how to manage them.

The flower beds produced nothing. Nor did the fields of water sausage that surrounded the house on the edge of the garden. Just as Frisk was starting to get worried, they felt their soul grow heavy.

A blue attack.

“HELLO HUMAN!” The other Papyrus said. “I’M HERE TO CAPTURE YOU AGAIN!”

The other Papyrus blocks the way.

Fights were never easy, but Frisk had learned. It was not any different than a video game. They just had to know their target, and know their moves.

The menu they imagined came into view. Something else caught their eye. A flash of white, towards the tree.

The blue attack faded on their Soul, and they ran towards the tree. They reached their fingers into the knot hole. Inside was something small and round, and when held against the colors of the flower bed, looks like it was sketched in with a pencil.

“Papyrus, have you caught the human yet!?” Undyne’s voice called.

It wasn’t an item, they realized. It was a target?

“NO!” The Other Papyrus said. “THEY’RE QUITE CUNNING! I CAN SEE WHY MY OTHER SELF WOULD HAVE A PROBLEM FIGHTING THEM!”

There was a Soul inside.

“WHAT? Then let me handle the twerp!”

Spears replaced the bones. The tree shattered as they pierced, and Frisk scrambled to get out of the way in time.

The tree wasn’t the only thing in the garden falling apart. The flowers lost their colors and wilted. Water sausages fell to the ground and crumbled to ash. Frisk found the dirt they stood on form into the uneven tile of the Ruins.

Undyne’s turn ended, and Frisk fled.

“HEY! GET BACK HERE, YOU PUNK!” Undyne called.

* * *

Hotland was difficult to navigate through, for a number of reasons. Even with her raincoat tied around her waist, the heat was unbearable. The puzzles were much more difficult than what Papyrus had created, as low as bar as that might be. It actually helped out Coraline a lot, since few monsters were willing to attack her once they realized she was there to fix the puzzles.

There was also a killer robot chasing her.

The phone vibrated, and Coraline pulled it out of her pocket.

Alphys posted a picture: Dinner with the girlfriend ;)

It was a picture of a catgirl figurine next to a bowl of instant noodles.

Dr. Alphys also wouldn’t stop texting her. It wasn’t that Coraline wasn’t unappreciative of what Alphys was doing to help her. It was nice to have someone else in the Underground that just wanted to help

COOLSKELETON95 posted a picture: ARE WE POSTING HOT “PICS???” HERE IS ME AND MY COOL FRIEND!

It was a picture of Papyrus flexing in front of a mirror. He is wearing sunglasses. Giant, muscular biceps were pasted on to his arms. They were also wearing sunglasses.

Coraline slowed down as she realized Hotland was starting to cool down. She had walked away from the lava pits that filled the Core and into a new area, and for the first time in the Underground, she had to crane her neck to see what was above her. A hotel building, nearly double of what her house was. A logo of two Metattons with wings decorated the front.

sans stood in the doorway.

“hey there kid,” said sans. “thought i’d catch up with you here. heard you’re going the core. care to catch dinner with me first?”

Coraline looked over the building again.

“In there?” Coraline asked, pointing specifically to the logo.

“ah, don’t worry about him. for a killer robot, he’s all bark and no bite.” Said sans. “i perform in here all the time. that’s how i was able to get reservations.”

Coraline wanted to question him further, but her growling stomach betrayed her on this one. She hadn’t had a proper meal since she left Toriel’s house. Papyrus’ friendship spaghetti didn’t count.

“Sure,” said Coraline.

“great, thanks for treating me,” said sans. “over here, i know a shortcut.”

* * *

Frisk didn’t stop running until they found their next hiding spot. The closest building they could freely enter was Undyne’s house. They threw themselves in and slammed the door behind them.

It would be safe. But not forever. They had to think of something else.

Frisk pulled the treasure out of their sweater pocket and quickly checked it.

“You did it,” a voice whispered in her ear. “There’s still two more of us, and the other one is close by. Hurry!”

Spears skewered through the front door. Frisk locked it. They would just have to be quick, then.

They rummaged through the various drawers in the kitchen. They knocked over the pots and pans and fruit basket and overturned every container of tea they could find. Their attention turned to the piano, the last thing they expected Undyne to have in her house, and found it supporting the stool.

As soon as they pulled it out, the stool and the piano collapsed. Frisk dodged as broken keys and piano wire erupted from the device. The pots and pans clattered against the counter and flung themselves at Frisk.

Just another bullet pattern. It passed too fast for them to think of the command menu, but it was easy enough that they didn’t need to.

Out of the corner of their eye, Frisk saw something else. The stove was moving. The oven was preheating. The dials on the stove began to turn, becoming faster with every rotation.

Frisk decided it was time to leave.

They ran out of the house just as it caught on fire.

They didn’t have long to watch the house burn down. No sooner had they found a safe place to stand away from the fire, the flames died as the house turned to dust and ash. The cave walls of the fake Waterfall crumbled and fell onto a ground that wasn’t there anymore.

Their relief of their escape was short lived. Frisk looked around, trying to find the other Papyrus and Undyne.

The area grew dark.

Darker.

Yet darker still.

They stood in the distance, but something was off. Frisk took a turn to check them and found their health depleting rapidly.

“Goodbye human!” called the Other Papyrus, in a voice that hardly resembled the real Papyrus, as he fell into the ground.

Frisk waited for a moment until they weren’t moving to get closer. Plastic bones, yarn, ripped fabric and buttons filled the places where the Other Undyne and the Other Papyrus had stood.

Fake, Frisk realized. They were just toys that the Other Toriel was done with now, and so she had broken them. The whole world was fake. All the reason to get out of here quicker.

The sky grew dark overhead. Frisk looked up, and saw a shadow move over the moon.

* * *

“so, your journey’s almost over, huh? you must really wanna go home.”

“Wouldn’t be heading home,” Coraline mumbled to her vegetables. It was still monster food and it still turned to dust in her mouth, but somehow it was still filling. Somehow, it was better than whatever her dad decided to experiment with.

“no?” asked sans. “then why go through all this trouble, buddo?”

“I’m heading back to where I live now, but it isn’t home,” said Coraline. “I moved to a place called the Pink Palace about a week ago. I’m going back to see my mom and dad.”

Sans nodded, although it looked like he didn’t quite understand. Moving to a faraway place probably wasn’t common in the Underground, Coraline realized.

“that makes it sound even worse,” said sans. “c’mon kid, down here you already got food, friends, drink…is what you gotta do even worth it?”

“If it were Papyrus, would you do it?” Coraline asked.

“I would do anything if it meant Papyrus was safe,” said sans. It came off unusually serious, so he added “ah, forget about it. i’m rooting for ya, kid.”

Silence fell between them. Sans shifted his gaze ever so slightly, as if he were lost in thought. Coraline decided to break the silence.

“Hey sans,” said Coraline. “What ever happened to the last human that fell down here?”

“told ya. never met ‘em. too young.”

“You said Papyrus was too young,” said Coraline. “So did you see them or not?”

Sans looked away again. Coraline was prepared to ask him again, but stopped when he turned back.

“I made some poor judgements. Don’t intent to do that again.” sans said. “sorry, kid, that’s just a sore subject.”

“Don’t you think you should give them another chance?” Coraline asked.

Sans stared at her, the pinpricks of light in his eye flickering.

“I mean, if Papyrus hadn’t given me a second chance and decided not to capture me, I wouldn’t be here,” said Coraline. “And if I hadn’t decided to give Papyrus a second chance, we wouldn’t be friends.”

“heh. guess that’s true,” said sans. “but you know, some things aren’t worth forgiving.”

“When I first came to the Underground,” said Coraline. “I was in a place called the Ruins. And there was a woman there who helped guide me through the Ruins and taught me how puzzles worked and made sure I wouldn’t attack another monster. And she took me to her house and gave me a place to sleep and food to eat. But she didn’t want to let me go. She was willing to destroy the door to the Ruins before she let me go home.

“And we fought. I won and I spared her, but I realized after the fight that she didn’t want me to stay because she wanted to hurt me. She wanted me to stay because nobody had ever made it through the Underground safe. Because she was lonely, and tired of losing children in her life. So before I left, I told her that I wasn’t mad at her and I forgave her, but I still had to go back home to my real family. So maybe sometimes someone does something bad, but they have good intentions behind it.”

Sans watched Coraline as she finished her story. The pinpricks in his eyes returned to normal, and his smile drooped ever so slightly. He took a sip from his drink, and Coraline watched as it fell out of his ribs.

“you said this woman’s safe, right?” asked sans.

“Yes,” said Coraline.

“and what did you say her name was?”

“Toriel.” Coraline said. It sounded more like a question. That was the last thing she expected him to say.

A light blue shade appeared on sans’ cheek bones. Was he blushing?

“well, i’ll keep that in mind,” said sans. “take care of yourself, kid. cause someone really cares about you.”

* * *

The treasure wasn’t part of the sled. It wasn’t that Frisk was expecting it to, anyway. If the treasure wasn’t on the sled, however, then it meant that it was somewhere on the route that Frisk had taken. Even with a crumbling world, that would take forever to find.

But they were already winning. They would have plenty of time to look. They were determined to win.

*File SAVED

It was harder to climb up the high hills of Snowdin without the other Papyrus carrying them, or the other sans lending them their jacket. It didn’t help that the snow was hardly snow anymore, so much as it was a cottony substance that felt dry on their skin and turned to dust as the stepped on it. Yet they managed to climb it, and it was only once they were safely on the sled and ready to launch themselves did the hill collapse and crumble.

It was even harder to steer the sled as it fell apart. Frisk once again found themself thrown in the air…

…and once again landed on hard tile.

They pulled themselves up. They were back in the Judgement Hall. And someone was in front of them.

“Heya kid.” The other sans said in a voice that did not sound like sans. “Thought you might show back up here.”

The other sans was in a sorry state, though not as bad as his brother. Yarn ran through his entire body, holding limbs in place and keeping his smile wide. Only his button eyes seemed to be movable by his own will, and they did not look happy.

“Sorry kid,” said the other sans. “Just following orders.”

The other sans blocks the way. Frisk felt themself grow stiff, though not by blue magic.

A wave of bones raced towards them.

*Game over

*Load SAVE file

The other sans does not want to fight you

*Game over

*Load SAVE File

The other sans is sorry.

*Game over

*Load SAVE file

The other sans is so so sorry.

*Game over

*Load SAVE File

The other sans wishes you would stop this

*Game over.

*Load SAVE File

The other sans does not want to fight you

*Game over

*Load SAVE File

The shadow of a button was nearly covering the moon.

_I won’t fight you anymore,_ Frisk signed.

“You gotta do something kid,” said the other sans. “What else was this all for, then?”

Frisk didn’t know how to answer. A new wave of bones came their way.

“bßfÙ’¤ž!"

The attack was interrupted. Something now blocked Frisk’s path.

e@!Œ�ñ0�–À enters the fight.

_The soul is in this room,_ Gaster signed. _Now hurry._

It took Frisk a minute to figure out what he was talking about, and another to get their feet to move properly. They ran a quick check around the room, and found it in the back corner where they kept their Save Point.

“You know he doesn’t blame you, right?” said the other sans.

“ãÍÚùkÚ‚ü«âG×Üý,"

There was a rush of bones, and the battle was over.


	5. Chapter 5

The elevator up to New Home was fast, but it still felt like it was taking too long. Coraline was glad that she was the only one in there and with no cameras, either hidden or visible. She fixed herself from the fight with Mettaton, adjusting her clothes again (he had insisted she take off her raincoat, as it wasn’t fashionable for a fight), check and see if she had gained any bruises or cuts during the fight, and tried not to think about what Alphys had told her.

The elevator slowed and the doors opened. Coraline stepped out of the elevator in a daze.

New Home looked like the Ruins. Not just in terms of general design; down to the cracks in the brick and the uneven levels of tile. The only difference Coraline could truly spot were the houses, and only that there were more of them.

Or, perhaps, the spider houses were too small from her to see from her vantage point in the Ruins. She missed the spiders in the Ruins. The spiders in Hotland were mean and charged too much. Her adventures in the Ruins felt so far away, like the memories of her playing before she moved. The Ruins were the start of a grand adventure. New Home felt like the end of a long battle.

Froggit blocks the way.

“I didn’t think there were any more Froggits in the Underground,” said Coraline. She remembered meeting the Final Froggit in the CORE.

The Froggit stared at her. It let out a low croak, and spoke.

“A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins. Injured by its fall, the human called out for help…

* * *

“You’ve done well, child,” said one of the lost souls. “But she won’t play fair with you. Flee, while your soul is still yours.”

“She grows desperate,” said another. “She did not prepare for you, the way she did for us. She will treat you like any other child that comes into her possession. She will think she can still trick you. You must not let her.”

The Other World was becoming a formless mass, the same way the space beyond New Home had been. The only thing that was left was the house, and somewhere beyond that, the way to the Underground.

This was it, Frisk knew. The moment of truth. The unravelling time.

*File Saved.

The Other Toriel sat in her chair, and stared at Frisk with black button eyes. She did not look much like Toriel anymore, they realized. Toriel was tall, and her horns and teeth were sharp, and she was a ghostly pale. But Toriel always had a way of making herself as non-threatening as possible. Now, it was like the Other Toriel was not even trying. There was no point for her to keep up the illusion, maybe.

“You’ve come back,” said the Other Toriel. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

Frisk reached into their pocket and pulled out the lost souls. The Other Toriel reached for it, with fingers that were more like knives than Toriel’s claws, but Frisk pulled back.

_Exit first,_ they signed.

The Other Toriel was silent for a minute. Her face was unreadable, but Frisk could tell she was not happy.

“Very well,” said the Other Toriel. “Follow me.”

She stood from the chair, and Frisk followed them down the stairs.

They should have expected it to be in the hidden corridor, they realized. Even if the rest of the Underground had been moved in this world, it was where they were always meant to go when they asked.

It was too easy, Frisk realized.

“You won’t find what you’re looking for out there,” said the Other Toriel, in a tone that made it sound like she knew what she was talking about. “I’ve seen your family. The real one. You’re so lucky I made this world after those monsters you care so much about. Your family does not love you. Not like me.”

She did love them, Frisk realized, in the same way Frisk loved real butterscotch cinnamon pie.

_T-O-R-I-E-L,_ they signed, and this time they made sure to sign the E right.

“After all the trouble you cause them?” The Other Toriel asked.

_Fix,_ they sighed.

“You won’t break them out of the Underground. You couldn’t even save yourself,” said the Other Toriel. “And what do you expect to find when you do go back? Need I remind you why you climbed that mountain in the first place?”

They approached the door.

“But if you don’t believe me, go ahead,” said the Other Toriel, and she opened the door.

The other side was dark, darker, darker still. They knew nothing was going to be on the other side, anyway. They let themselves Check, and found three souls and something else waiting for them in the darkness.

“Well?” The Other Toriel asked.

Frisk took a deep breath, summoned all of their Determination, and threw themself at the Beldam.

It barely constituted a Fight. The Other Toriel was big, but she was not heavy, and she toppled over easily. In the darkness, three souls reached out for the Beldam and pulled her in closer. Frisk pulled themself off the ground and slammed the door shut.

The door shook and shuttered as the Beldam banged on it from behind. They forced themselves on it. The Beldam shirked behind them. More hands joined theirs. WD Gaster leaned against the door.

“½–Á” He said.

Frisk could imagine what that meant. They ran, and scrambled up the stairs to the house.

* * *

The walk from New Home to the castle was long, and once the other monsters left her, lonely. No one else stopped her as she reached the castle. She entered the Throne Room with hesitance, feeling like a lost little girl.

Coraline summoned all the bravery she had and looked up at the King.

The throne room was thick with garden. Golden flowers and leaves filled so much of the room that the throne looked like an afterthought. Perhaps it was, for Coraline would later see the one throne covered in sheet and tucked into the corner of the room.

Right now, her eyes were on its sole occupant.

“Dum dee dum…oh? Is someone there? Just a moment. I have almost finished watering these flowers…here we are!”

The King of All Monsters turned to Coraline.

He looked like Toriel. Not exactly like Toriel, of course. His horns were much larger, and perhaps they should have been menacing. A mane of golden hair sprung from his head and decorated his chin. Even the purple gown he wore was similar.

“Now, how can I—”

King Asgore stopped as he saw Coraline. He flinched, ever so slightly, as if Coraline had struck him. He turned away from her, eyes looking down on the flowers.

“I so badly want to say, ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’” said King Asgore. “But…you know how it is. You know what we must do.”

* * *

The house was still there. The way back home had to be as well. They threw open every door, checked every closet, and found themselves tumbling into the room under renovations.

They were forced to duck as they entered. The door was a lot bigger than the tunnel it led in to. They did not take long to observe their surroundings, for the screams of the Beldam were getting closer. They crawled.

When the tunnel ended, Frisk found themselves tumbling into a house.

As soon as they caught themselves, they moved an armchair in front of the door, lest the Beldam found a way to escape. There was a lock on the door, and the scavenged the house for the pairing key. It was only when they found it, and the door was locked, that they allowed themselves to breathe.

They were in a house. It was not Toriel’s house, or even a house they recognized. It was a very old house—it had an attic under the roof and a cellar under the ground and an overgrown garden with huge old trees in it. It was not really one house, it was much too big for that. It was called the Pink Palace.

They found other people. Two women lived in the flat below, and invited Frisk over for tea. The thought of tea made their stomach churn. One man lived in the flat above, and talked to them for a bit about the mice he was training.

Yet they could not find the people who lived in the flat they found. Eventually, the sun set, and their exhaustion caught up to them. They had to find a place to stay for the night. If nobody was in the flat, then maybe they wouldn’t mind if they stayed the night.

The flat was lived in at one point. Only half the house had been decorated with photos and knick-knacks. The other half lay in cardboard boxes that had yet to be unpacked. A thin layer of dust covered everything. Most of the food had gone bad, but Frisk found some crackers that sated their hunger for now.

There was a doll in one of the bedrooms that looked a lot like one of the girls in the photo. It stared back at them with black button eyes. Frisk decided to avoid that room, and instead settled on the armchair.

They had not slept for very long, when they were awakened by a black cat.

It was larger than most house cats, but not by much. Its fur was dirty and matted, its ears were chipped, and its whiskers stuck out and bent at odd angles. It stared back at them with dazzlingly blue eyes, too focused for any wild animal.

Frisk decided to wave.

“Good morning,” said the Cat. “You are not Coraline.”

Frisk tilted their head in confusion. They tried to sign, but the Cat’s expression did not change. Instead, they got up and looked around the house for a notepad and a pen.

Do you live here? They wrote. Their handwriting was messy and there would be words they could not spell, but it was an effective way of communicating for now.

“No,” said the Cat. “I take it you don’t, either.”

_Sorry._ Frisk wrote. _Thought it would be okay if no one else was here._

“Yes, I wonder why no one is here,” said the Cat. “I’ve been here many times. There was a girl here. She was rude and obnoxious and stuck her nose into things she didn’t belong, but she was here. I can’t find her this time. Not here, not in the other world.”

The Cat leaned in close. “Instead, I find you. So where is Coraline?”

Frisk’s breath hitched. This must be Coraline’s house. They arrived here when they Reset. Coraline must have filled their place. Coraline must be in the Underground now. And without the ability to Save or Reset…

The Cat backed away from Frisk.

“I take it you know?” They asked.

Frisk nodded. They could still fix this, they decided. They had to go back to the Underground anyway. If they Reset now, maybe Coraline would come back.

_I’ll find them,_ they wrote, and *Reset.


	6. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry about all of the delays in this! The last month has been really kicking my ass, between work and packing for school. To make up for it, I'm going to post the entirety of part 2 today.

“WOWIE! YOU DID IT! YOU DIDN'T DO A VIOLENCE! TO BE HONEST, I WAS A LITTLE AFRAID. BUT YOU'RE ALREADY BECOMING A GREAT PERSON! I'M SO PROUD I COULD CRY. WAIT, WASN'T I SUPPOSED TO CAPTURE YOU...WELL FORGET IT! I JUST WANT YOU TO BE THE BEST PERSON YOU COULD BE. SO LET'S LET BYBONES BE BYBONES.”

Their hands are shaking as Papyrus leaves. It's hard to breathe, like she had just gotten out of the fiercest battles. They stand there for a long time after Papyrus leaves but she don't know why. Her knife clatters to the ground.

She doesn't know why she's done anything she has. She shouldn't have spared him. She should have killed him like the rest. In this world, it's kill or be killed. It's hurt or get hurt. She shouldn't have accepted his mercy, because he's going to hurt her just like the others. They all hurt her in the end never let them get close never show them mercy no mercy no mercy no mercy she calls for help

* But nobody came.

They wipe at their eyes, trying to remove tears they aren't crying. More Dust gets in them than before but it's a good feeling. It was just a mistake. They can go back and fix it.

They call for help.

She wonders how much longer they're going to keep this up. It shouldn't be much longer now, she thinks.

The end will be here soon. She will erase this world.

* Reset

Two are the Trees

An Undertale/Over the Garden Wall crossover fanfiction

By the Poor Sap Advocate

Chapter 1

“Antelope, Guggenheim, Albert, Salami, Giggly, Jumpy, Tom, Thomas, Tambourine, Leg Face McCullen, Artichoke, Penguin, Pete, … _Steve_ …but I think the worst name for this frog is—“

“Wait, wait a second.”

Their surroundings were just becoming clear to him. It was dark, barely bright enough to see his brother in front of him. The only light came from above, and it looked miles away.

“Uh, Greg,” said Wirt. “Where are we?”

“Underground?” Greg offered.

“Weren’t we in the woods a few moments ago?” Wirt asked.

Greg hummed and thought, and turned to his frog for a second opinion. The frog let out a slightly confused croak.

“Nevermind,” said Wirt. “Let’s just…keep going the way we were.”

“I don’t think we can climb that high,” said Greg.

“No, Greg, I meant forward.”

And forward they went. The light in the caves grew as they travelled down the corridor, though Wirt couldn’t figure out why. It was becoming increasingly clear they were somewhere in a cave or underground or both, and the light source _above_ was fading. Wirt could see almost everything in his way now, from the cave walls to the beds of flowers to the…

A golden flower, looking at them with a very confused expression.

“Hello Mr. Flower,” said Greg.

The flower made a face that Wirt couldn’t quite read.

“More of you? Really?” the flower asked. “Alright. Let’s get started then.”

* * *

It was dark, wherever Frisk ended up. It was also cold; not quite as cold as Snowdin, but cold enough that they tugged their sweater closer to them. The moon shone above them, so it’s not the Underground, and it was a quarter moon uneclipsed so it wasn’t the Other Toriel’s world. They are in a forest, so thick with trees that it’s hard to see if there was supposed to be a road. It’s something completely new to them.

Yet they still felt determined.

*File SAVED

They did not know how long they walk in the woods alone. It was hard to measure time when the only repeating pattern is stepping on twigs. Eventually, the repetitive sounds came from something hard smacking against wood. Frisk decided to follow that.

More sounds became audible as they walked closer. Sounds of breaking branches. Sounds of one moving around the ground. Sounds of humming, not so much a song as it was a march. Frisk only got close enough to see something humanoid walking away from the sight, the sounds carrying after them.

“Hey kid? What’re you doing out here?”

That sound came from behind the scene. Frisk had to turn around and crane their neck to see their addresser--a small bluebird perched on one of the higher branches.

“You’re not lost, are ya?” the bluebird asked.

Frisk shrugged. They had no idea where they were supposed to be heading anyway.

The bluebird groaned, and buried her face in her wing. “Well, do you need—?”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE?”

Frisk froze at the voice. They stayed frozen as the light shines in their eyes. The bluebird murmured something and flies off but they did not quite hear it over the pounding of their heart. They did not unfreeze until the light of the lantern grew enough that they could make out the holder’s face. Just the woodsman from before. Frisk let themself wave a bit to be friendly.

The woodsman gives them a steady glare. “These woods are no place for a child like you. Don’t you know the Beast is afoot here?”

* * *

Flowers did not have faces. Goats were not bipedal and matronly. And there certainly wasn’t an entire society of monsters living under a mountain. Wirt was fairly certain of these things. At least, he had been up until fifteen minutes ago. He concluded that, in order for him to be seeing the flowers with faces and motherly goats, he must either be dreaming or going crazy. Possibly both.

Greg, however, had no problem accepting any of the things in his way. This did not surprise Wirt as much as it should. This whole Ruins area looked like it was something Greg had dreamed up.

This was all Greg’s stupid dream, Wirt decided, and he just had to get him through it.

“Come on Wirt!” said Greg. “They’re not too bad once you get to know them!”

The frog gave a croak in agreement.

“Greg, you just got out of a fight with a carrot!” said Wirt.

“Vegetoid was nice,” said Greg. “I don’t know what he wants me to do with all these vegetables though.”

The frog croaked again. This time Wirt wasn’t sure what it meant.

“It’s still a carrot,” said Wirt. “A-and a monster! You shouldn’t be anywhere near those things.”

“Okay. Why don’t you try then?”

Before Wirt could figure out what Greg meant with that, he found himself being pushed ahead. A Froggit blocked the way.

Wirt tensed up as the battle began and his Soul left his chest. The Froggit unleashed a few bullets that flew around like flies, but otherwise seemed uninterested.

“Pst,” said Greg in a way that was not actually meant to be quiet. “Trying complimenting her!”

It was worth a shot, Wirt decided.

“Listen,” said Wirt. “You look like a frog of decent logic, and we are but two lost souls in the Underground. Would you consider letting us pass?”

The Froggit seemed to think for moment. Wirt was pretty sure it was because it had no idea what he had said. It hopped away, leaving behind two coins.

“Uh, excuse me, you forgot your—“ Wirt started. Greg stepped in and grabbed the coins before he could finish.

“Greg, those aren’t ours,” Said Wirt.

“Sure they are!” said Greg. “It’s just like in a video game when you defeat an enemy!”

“Greg, this isn’t a game!”

“Why can’t it be?”

“Because it’s dangerous down here,” said Wirt.

“All the more reason to think of it like a video game!” said Greg. “Now come on, I think I’ve saved up for the Spider Cider.”

* * *

It took the Woodsman a while to figure out Frisk was just a lost kid in the woods. It took him even longer to realize they could not talk to him. It was easy to tell when he did. His tone grew softer, yet it was still full of worry. He asked if they knew where they were going, and when they answered no, offered them a place to stay at his house.

Well, it was not _his_ house. It was the house that he used when he needed a roof over his head while he worked. Before him, the house had not been touched in a long time. Yet it was nice to be in a house Frisk did not recognize, so they ignored the smell of must and feathers.

“You may stay here for the night if you wish,” the Woodsman said. “But beware if you leave in the night. There is a Beast that lurks in these woods. Ever singing his mournful melody in search of lost souls such as yourself.”

Frisk wasn’t very good with words, but they knew what Beast meant. It was something like a monster…a monster! Was there a Monster out here? Could they know how to get back to the Underground?

“I’ve work to attend to in the mill,” the Woodsman said. “Do what you wish. You may find me in there.”

He threw another log on the fire for them, grabbed his lantern and left.

* * *

The frog did not have a name. Most frogs don’t, naturally. Names are things given to distinguish between humans. Frogs, especially frogs on the Surface, did not need them.

This frog, on the other hand, was no longer on the Surface. Yet he was still not given a name. Greg had yet to decide on one, and the frog was not in any hurry to have one.

He was quite curious about where he had ended up, however, so while the two brothers negotiated for baked goods at the spider bake sale, the frog decided to explore some more.

There were frogs in the Underground. Not real frogs; frogs of flesh and blood and grew from tadpoles. It was frog that was held together with magic.

“Hello traveler,” said the Froggit. Or, rather, the thing that lived under the Froggit.

The frog croaked a greeting.

“I do not wish to fight you,” said the Froggit. “Nor do I think any of the creatures in the Ruins anymore. You and your humans have been quite kind. However, I wish to ask you a question.

“Before you there was another human in the Underground. They were the first in a long time. They were usually quite kind to us, but something changed the last time they were here. I do not think they were quite themselves. I am not sure if they were safe. Have you any idea where they might have gone?”

The frog did not, and told him as much.

“I see,” said the Froggit. “Thank you. And if I may impart some advice, traveler of the Surface, be cautious of the old queen. She has lost a lot, and she is not always aware that she hurts because she is hurting.”

“Kitty!” Greg called. “Kitty! Now where is that frog named Kitty?”

The frog croaked to grab his attention.

“Oh there you are Kitty!”

Greg ran up and scooped the frog into his kettle.

“Hiya Froggit!” said Greg. “You’re looking fantastic today!”

The Froggit did not understand what he said, but blushed anyway. They dropped a little more gold than most Froggits do when they left.

* * *

Frisk spent the night. They left early in the morning, as the sun was beginning to rise. They did not see the Woodsman again.

They wondered if he ever left the mill after that, if he ever got sleep or if he went back out into the forest. They would have to find a way to thank him later. But most people, they realized, would come back when they needed them.

They stopped thinking as they heard something move in the woods. It was too big to be the bluebird, or even the Cat from the Otherworld. They braced themselves.

The fight started.

The thing that emerged was not a monster, or at least a monster they could recognize. It walked on all fours and towered above Frisk. It looked like a dog, but the way its fur stood up from all sides made the shape hard to distinguish. And its eyes…

The creature attacked first, lunging towards Frisk. They dodged. Their turn opened up, but all Frisk could think to do was compliment their eyes.

The creature was not flattered. It lunged again, swiping at Frisk. They dodged and jumped back. They tumbled in the creek.

The creek was not deep in the slightest. It did not hurt them too much to tumble into it, nor did it take them very long to pull themselves back up. But in the process, they had fled the fight.

Something else was fighting the creature. Something small and black that crawled over the creature and forced it back into the creek with them.

The creatures tumbled into the creek. A black turtle emerged, followed by a normal-looking dog.

Next out the creek came the Cat. He leaped out of the water in a blur of black. He shook himself dry the same way the dog did, and started to lick the rest of himself clean.

“There are few creatures I _like_ ,” said the Cat. “But dogs have a special place in hell reserved for them.”

The dog noticed Frisk for the first time and rushed over. This time, its intentions were far more friendly. Frisk gave it a few decisive pats before it disappeared into the woods once again.

The Cat didn’t speak up until the dog was out of sight. Frisk watched him carefully.

“There are few creatures I like, but perhaps I was too quick to judge you,” said the Cat. “This world is…new, to me. Perhaps I would be willing to walk part of the way with you.”

He avoided making eye contact with Frisk. However, when Frisk extended a hand, he leaned into it and let himself get pat.

* * *

Wirt had not really meant to get into Toriel’s bedroom. He was looking for a way out. He had tried to find a way outside of the house, but the Ruins ended with Toriel’s house.

He wondered if that was deliberate.

Toriel’s room was ordinary. It was incredibly well kept, thought that did not surprise Wirt. It had been decorated with bookshelves and typhae, but it all looked so old and out of place that it was hard to believe Toriel put it in.

Wirt looked through everything. Through the sock drawer, the pots of plants, under the mattress. And he felt bad about it but what else was he supposed to do?

His eyes fell onto the diary on her desk. It was thick and full, but it was already turned today’s date. Something on the page had been circled in bright red ink.

Wirt swallowed as he leaned in closer to read it.

_Why did the skeleton need a friend? Because she was feeling bone-ly!_

“You know, perhaps I overestimated her abilities.” said Wirt to nobody.

Greg’s calls shook him out of his thoughts. The younger brother rushed into the room, the frog trailing behind him.

“Toriel’s gone!” Greg exclaimed.

“Gone?” said Wirt. “What do you mean, gone?”

“Well, she was sitting in Chariel and I asked her—“

“What, the chair? Why did you name her armchair and not your frog?”

“I didn’t name it!” said Greg. “But I asked her how do we leave the Ruins and she got up and said she had something to do but she’s been gone for five minutes now and I really wanted some of the butts pie!”

Toriel would know how to leave the Ruins. Why would she get so defensive the second Greg asked?

“Come on, we need to go find her.”


	7. Chapter 2

It was clear that the world outside the door was far different than the Ruins. Cold winds rushed to them as soon as the door was opened, causing Wirt to try and bundle closer into his cloak. A blanket of snow covered the land and ended just at the edge of the door.

“Hooray! Snow day!” said Greg as he bounded towards the snow.

Wirt sighed and tried his best to ignore his brother. Leave it to Greg to forget they just had to fight the only friendly face they’ve met down here.

Greg did not fight back, actually. Once Toriel saw that Greg wouldn’t fight back, she turned her attention to Wirt. Once Greg convinced Wirt not to fight back, she ended the fight. She had allowed them to leave, and asked that they try not to contact her again. That didn’t change the fact that Greg had tried to call her every five seconds as they left the Ruins.

The sounds of snapping branches behind him shook Wirt out of his thoughts.

“Greg, come on, we’re leaving,” said Wirt.

“I know!” said Greg, from right in front of him.

Wirt’s head snapped from Greg to behind him again. No one was there.

“Wow, that was a pretty big branch,” said Greg. “Someone really strong must have snapped it.”

Wirt pulled Greg up. Greg scrambled to grab his frog.

“Come on Greg, we’re getting out of here as soon as possible.”

Whether he liked it or not, Greg was his responsibility, and Wirt was going to make sure he got home safe.

“Kay,” said Greg. “Are you sure we can’t go talk to the guy following us first?”

Wirt started to run. He only slowed down as they reached a large gate.

“Hello, humans. Two of you, huh?”

“Hiya mister!” Greg squirmed under Wirt’s arm as he put down the frog and held out his hand.

“hey kid. sorry, no handshakes today. left my whoopee cushions back at my checkpoint.”

“Whoopee!”

Wirt spun around. Behind him was a skeleton. It was not a particularly scary skeleton, Wirt realized. He was short and round, wearing a hodgepodge of clothing that put what Wirt was wearing to shame. His teeth were stretched into a wide grin that hardly moved as he spoke.

“My name’s Greg, and this is Wirt, and this is my frog Alexander Hamilton, but I’m thinking of changing it,” said Greg.

“the name’s sans, nice to meet ya,” said sans. “now, we were on the lookout for humans, so you better—“

“SANS!”

“already?” sans asked. “okay, go ahead and go through that gate. i’ll think of…something.”

“ _You’ll_ think of something?” Wirt asked.

“yeah, relax. i have some nice lamps you can hide behind.”

The gate bars weren’t big enough to block the four of them out. Without any other choice, Wirt ran through them.

There _was_ a lamp out there. And even more surprisingly, it was human shaped. Not Wirt shaped, it was too short for that. Not Greg shaped, it was too thin for that.

sans muttered under his breath before he turned back to the others. “alright, maybe you can hide in my checkpoint?”

Wirt didn’t even get the chance. Before he could move, something was behind him.

“sup bro?” sans asked.

“YOU KNOW WHAT’S SUP BROTHER!” The newcomer snapped. “YOU STILL HAVEN’T RECALIBRATED YOUR PUZ—“

The newcomer’s eyes fell onto the three and he jumped back.

It was another skeleton. Much taller and angled than sans was, yet Wirt still didn’t feel bone-chilling terror at the sight of him. He was dressed in some strange armor, topped with an orange scarf that hovered behind him like cape.

“SANS!” The newcomer snapped. “ARE THOSE HUMANS?”

“uh…i think that’s a froggit, actually.”

The frog croaked.

“I’m a human!” Greg spoke up. “My name’s Greg and that’s Wirt and that’s my frog Thomas Jefferson but I’m thinking of changing it—”

“SANS! YOU FINALLY CAUGHT A HUMAN! AND TWO OF THEM! I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!” The newcomer said.

“uh…sure…”

The newcomer cleared his throat. Wirt wondered if he had one. “ATTENTION, HUMANS! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! AFTER THAT! I’M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENS! IN ANY CASE, CONTINUE…ONLY IF YOU DARE! NYEH HEH HEH!”

* * *

They reached the next town by sunset. It was a tiny thing that is more farmland than houses, but that was not what intrigued Frisk.

There were skeleton monsters. Hundreds of them, really, disguised in costumes of pumpkin held together by straw. Frisk recognized them by the occasional gap that reveals bone, but more by their speech patterns.

They called for help, and were passed from one skeleton to the next until they reach the Pottsville Town City Commissioner, the biggest and meanest-looking of the group. He took a long look at Frisk, a longer look at the Cat, and welcomed them both to the party.

They also found the bluebird again. She kept her distance from the whole thing until Frisk invited her over. Even then, she was noticeably uncomfortable.

“Why are you even here? These guys are giving me the creeps,” said the bluebird.

Frisk shrugged.

_Their a bit weird, but their really nice!_ They add in the notebook and show to her.

The bluebird made a face.

“Oh. You can’t talk, huh.”

There was a hint of disappointment in her tone, but Frisk is used to it, so they shrugged.

“I assure you, I am more than capable of speaking for the both of us,” said the Cat. There was a hint of something they did not recognize in his tone.

“Listen,” said the bluebird. “You’re still lost, right? I’m on my way to find Adelaide, the Good Witch of the Pasture. Maybe you can come with me, and maybe she could help you out too?”

The Cat made a noise as he starts to clean behind his ears dismissively.

“Forgive me for not being entirely trusting of women who say they have magic,” said the Cat.

_Maybe she can help us find beast,_ Frisk wrote down and showed to the both of them.

“What, you’re looking for that thing?” The bluebird asked.

_Think he’s lost, like us,_ Frisk wrote.

The bluebird was silent for a minute.

“Well, you’re free to follow me, if you want,” she said quietly.

_Great!_ Frisk wrote. _My name’s Frisk, and the Cat doesn’t really have a name. What’s your name?_

“Beatrice.” 

* * *

The Snowdin Forest turned out to be easily navigable, even with the two skeletons trying to capture them. Greg handled the monsters, un-decorating the Gryphon and pretending to laugh at Snowdrake’s jokes.

Or maybe that was legitimate laughter. There were too many puns in the Underground for Wirt’s taste.

Wirt, meanwhile, worked on the puzzles. It was a generosity to call them puzzles, really. He was pretty sure the hardest one was the junior jumble. With puzzles like that, and with the fact that sans was never too far behind in case they needed some warmer clothes or help running away from the Jerry, it was hard to think of the skeleton brothers as anything but distractions.

Except for the fact that they were trying to kidnap them.

Toriel had tried to kidnap them, in a way. The ones that did not fight them would kidnap them in the end.

Wirt really hated the Underground.

Despite his bitter feelings, he was rather surprised to see Snowdin Town. It was a pleasant-looking town, with small buildings and Christmas decorations that lit the narrow streets. It looked too nice for a place in the Underground. 

There was an inn. He didn’t quite know how time passed in the Underground, but it had been a long time since they had slept. The Snowed Inn—

Wirt rolled his eyes. It would have to do.

“Come on, Greg,” said Wirt. “We’ll stay here for the night and think about what to do in the morning.”

“It’s noon,” said Greg, but he still followed Wirt in. He was asleep before he was.

* * *

Frisk, on a general principle, did not like schools. They had too many bad memories of school, from the students that teased them to the teachers that let them get away with it. But when they saw the schoolhouse, and figured out that it was surprisingly easy to get in, they decided it was not a bad place to stay for the night. The Cat and Beatrice had not been happy about it, but they learned to deal with it when Ms. Langtree served the lunch meal.

Potatoes and molasses healed a surprising amount.

Animal monsters made up most of the student population. hey are more animal-like than the animal monsters in the Underground, the only thing that makes them look different from just an animal being their clothes.

They were silent when they spoke. Frisk didn’t mind; so are they. Ms. Langtree didn’t mind; she can teach and go on about without interruption.

When they do speak, it is with music. The music is not perfect, as inexperienced paws and claws play instruments that were not designed for them. But when they perform together it is a celebration. Even Beatrice could enjoy it. It does not take much work for Frisk to show them that everyone would recognize it.

They never figured out what happened to the gorilla monster that was running around, or that no good two-timing Jimmy. They school stays open.

* * *

Greg woke up before Wirt. This was not hard, considering they were only asleep for about an hour. The bunny lady made a point of paying him back for the room considering they barely used it. Greg spent the money on Nice Cream across the street.

“Come on, Lucinda,” said Greg to the frog, but mostly to himself. He would have to find a better name for the frog later. “Let’s go find Papyrus.”

The frog croaked in support.

It was not hard to find Papyrus. He was right at the end of the town, as the road becomes covered in fog. He was not hard to find, but he was hard to see. Greg wondered if that was intentional.

“HUMAN,” Papyrus took in a deep breath before he continued. “ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPELX FEELINGS. FEELINGS LIKE…THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER. THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER’S PUZZLE SOLVING SKILLS. THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL. THESE FELLINGS…THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW.”

“You’re not wrong!” said Greg. And, because that was the same way Wirt talked about Sara, “Does that mean you wanna go on a date with me?”

“WHAT!!? F-FLIRTING?!! SO YOU FINALLY REVEAL YOUR ULTIMATE FEELINGS!!! WELL, I AM A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS!!”

“Well, I think Lucinda and I could make spaghetti if we really tried,” said Greg. The frog ribbited in agreement.

“OH NO!!! YOU’RE MEETING ALL OF MY STANDARDS!!! L-LET’S DATE LATER! AFTER I CAPTURE YOU!”

The fight began.

It was easy to dodge Papyrus’ attacks. Very easy. Most times, Greg did not have to try. However, he quickly ran out of things he could do to escalate the battle. He would have to rely on his mercy.

Papyrus noticed that.

“SO, YOU WON’T FIGHT BACK?” Papyrus asked. “THEN LET’S SEE IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE MY FABLED BLUE ATTACK!!!”

The Blue Attack also was not hard to dodge. Greg learned from the cute Doggo with the bad eyesight how to remember blue stopsigns, and that was all Papyrus is throwing at him. He didn’t even have to move.

Until his Soul sank to the ground.

“YOU’RE BLUE NOW. THAT’S MY ATTACK. NYEH HEH HEH!”

* * *

When Wirt woke up, he couldn’t find Greg. It was only about ten minutes after Greg had left, but he did not realize that at the time. He rushed out of the inn, ignoring whatever the bunny monster was saying about payment. He ran through the streets of Snowdin wildly, trying to look for any sign of Greg…

And he found him casually leaving a rather large shed, the frog in the kettle he used for a hat.

“Greg, where were you?”

“I lost against Papyrus, so he kidnapped me,” said Greg. “But he made the bars too big and he forgot to lock the door so I broke out. I’m a jailbird now, Wirt!”

Wirt wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved or annoyed. He settled for focusing on the one thing he knows: Papyrus was going to capture them. He may not be very effective at it, but he could.

“Alright, fine. I’ll fight him.”

Wirt didn’t realize he was wandering so deep into the fog it was already too late. He was ready to turn around when he saw a figure in front of him.

“HELLO BIGGER HUMAN! ARE YOU HERE TO FIGHT ME TOO?”

“You bet!” Greg said. “He’s way stronger than I am!”

“WHAT?!!! SMALLER HUMAN?!! YOU BROKE OUT OF MY PRISON?!!” Papyrus asked. “NEVER MIND! LET ME PROVE TO YOU JUST HOW STRONG AND POPULAR I AM!”

Papyrus blocks the path.

“Try flirting with him, Wirt!” Greg said.

“YOU TOO?! WHY DO HUMANS FLIRT SO MUCH?!!”

“No, I don’t—” Wirt starts.

WELL, I SUPOSE IT IS VERY PROBABLE THAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS MANY ADMIRERS! BUT LET’S DATE LATER! AFTER I KIDNAP YOU!”

Wirt felt a sinking feeling in his chest. His Soul dropped to the ground.

“YOU’RE BLUE NOW. THAT’S MY ATTACK! NYEH HEH HEH!!!”

Wirt willed himself to pull his Soul off the ground. The next wave of bone attacks started up. A few collided into Wirt’s side before he could adequately dodge them.

“Jump, Wirt, jump!” said Greg from the sidelines.

Wirt jumped. His Soul followed him. He landed just as a slow moving bone crossed under his feet.

“HMM…I WONDER WHAT I SHOULD WEAR…” said Papyrus. “THE DATING RULEBOOK DOES EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF CLOTHING…”

Another wave on bone attacks rushed towards Wirt. He jumped over it.

“DO I HAVE ANY MTT ANIME POWDER BACK AT HOME I CAN RUB BEHIND MY EARS?? DO I HAVE EARS???”

“Hey Papyrus!” Wirt said. “You still wanna go on that date? Because I imagine I can’t go if you kidnap me!”

“I DO SEE THAT, HUMAN!!!” said Papyrus. “BUT IMAGINE HOW MUCH MY POPULARITY WILL SKYROCKET IF I DO CAPTURE YOU!! UNDYNE WILL BE REALLY PROUD OF ME!! THE KING WILL TRIM A HEDGE IN THE SHAPE OF MY SMILE!!! MY BROTHER WILL….WELL, HE WON’T CHANGE THAT MUCH.”

Wirt only caught some of that. More bones launched themselves towards him with every thought.

“I WILL HAVE MANY ADMIRERS!! BUT…WILL ANYONE LIKE ME AS MUCH AS YOU DO??”

“I will!” said Greg.

Bones as tall as Wirt filled the area. Wirt jumped, and found himself sailing in the air. He soared over them, and landed back in the snow. His Soul landed with a thud.

“I like you too, Papyrus,” said Wirt. “So maybe we can just forget about this human capturing nonsense and go on a date?”

Papyrus hesitated. He looked down at the ground as he weighed his options.

“SORRY HUMAN…BUT SURRENDER OR FACE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!!!”

Papyrus stepped back as he unveiled his attack.

The dog looked back up at him.

“WHAT THE HECK! THAT’S MY SPECIAL ATTACK!”

Papyrus threw a few of the smaller bones towards the dog in annoyance. It scampered off, special attack in mouth and tail wagging wildly.

“Wirt! Wirt, Wirt!” said Greg. “Here, eat one of these, it’ll make you feel better!”

Greg ran out into the battlefield and took something out of his teapot hat. Wirt only had a second to really look at it. It looked like some kind of cinnamon roll, carefully pressed into the shape of a rabbit.

“SIGH…HERE’S AN ABSOLUTELY NORMAL ATTACK.”

More bones emerged from the ground, forming a forest around them. Wirt shoved the cinnamon bunny in his mouth, grabbed a hold of Greg, and jumped.

* * *

There was a horse monster. His name is Fred. He thinks he’s a lot meaner than he actually is. He does have a tendency to steal, however.

There were other humans. Frisk was less interested in them. They were very interested in Frisk though. There were the customers of the tavern, who scrambled to label Frisk as something they weren’t. They settled on the young pilgrim, and Frisk decides to keep it because it does not assume what gender they are. There’s Mr. Quincy and Miss Margueritte and Frisk is disappointed to find out that they aren’t ghost monsters. They send Frisk away with some gold coins and some tea. The tea feels familiar for reasons that Frisk can’t quite place.

There were frog monsters. They are far better dressed than the Froggits of the Ruins. Frisk, the Cat, and Beatrice hop aboard their ship and are carried to the pasture. The band was nice.

They saw the Woodsman once more. They don’t know if the Woodsman saw them, however. He seemed very distracted.

None of them, however, seem to know if they are monsters. If they did slow down enough to see what Frisk was saying, they would usually interpret monster to mean a very bad thing, get offended, and wouldn’t wait for Frisk to explain what they meant. It was mostly the older not-quite-monsters who did this.

“I don’t know what you expect,” said the Cat while they were on the boat. “If you asked if I were a monster I wouldn’t have an answer for you.”

Frisk asked if the Cat was a monster. The Cat gave Frisk a lazy glare but did not answer.

Frisk asked if Beatrice were a monster.

“What?” Beatrice was distracted when they asked. She had been distracted the entire boat ride. “No, I….I used to be human you know.”

Frisk hadn’t. They turned their head to the side, to indicate how they want to hear more.

“Well, that’s why I’m going to Adelaide’s. Not much else to say about it,” said Beatrice. “Listen, kid…are you sure you can’t just leave this Beast business behind you and try and find your way home on your own?”

Frisk tried to answer. They try to write down that they don’t know where home is to begin with, and they need to get back to the Underground. They try to write that if the Beast really is a monster, or if there are any monsters in this place at all, they could help.

But Beatrice notices that they’re writing stuff down and answers before they can even finish a word.

“Great, then we’re skipping Adelaide’s, maybe we can go back to Pottsfield, you like skeletons, right?”

She flew closer in to the crowd before they could answer back. The Cat gave Beatrice a steady glare, but did not say anything.

* * *

“Wow,” said Greg. “Nice shortcut.”

“thanks.”

The area where sans had taken him looked like a place that his dad had said he shouldn’t go into. However, it was so cozy and warm that Greg not think of a reason why he couldn’t go in. Even the monsters looked friendly. Even the man on fire at the front looked friendly.

sans guided him up to the bar in the front. He had to help pull him up on the high barstool.

“what sounds good, bucko?”

“Hmm...potatoes!”

“we got fries, kid.”

“That’ll do!”

“you heard it grillbz. double order of fry.”

The bartender gave as steady a glare as one without a face could give towards sans, but left to the kitchen. The three sat in silence. Even Ross Valory the frog was silent.

“so kid. been meaning to ask you something,” said sans.

The atmosphere suddenly grew very heavy. Ross Valory ribbited, but with something Greg didn’t understand.

But he liked sans, so he decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. “What’s up?”

“well, there’s been something i’m worried about,” said sans. “Papyrus told me something interesting the other day. when no one’s around, a talking flower likes to show up and talk to him. offer him things; flattery, advice…predictions. think someone might be using one of them echo flowers in the Waterfall to play a trick on him. and if i’m being real honest…i think it might be a human.”

Greg thought hard, and hummed as he did.

“Well, it can’t be either of us, because we just got here,” said Greg. “Were there any other humans in the Underground before us?”

sans sighed before he answered.

He grabbed the ketchup bottle off of the bar and drank it whole. Greg always wanted to do that. But Dad said that there was too much sugar in ketchup and it didn’t taste sweet anyway.

“Well, I don’t know about any Echo Flowers, but I’ll keep an eye out for that one Golden Flower that likes to play pranks on people,” said Greg. “Thanks for the eats, sans.”

Sans was silent when Greg walked away. The frog croaked and tugged on his overalls. Greg looked behind him just in time to see the absolutely bewildered expression on sans’ face.

Somehow, he didn’t find that funny.


	8. Chapter 3

Wirt held his breath as he fought to hold still. Even Greg, for once, froze in place, with the frog clutched around his torso tightly.

Undyne moved closer. The grass rustled as she approached. Wirt held his breath as he waited for the inevitable.

He jumped when the hand reached down, and for a moment, he dared not look. He only did when he heard the hand reach back down and something hit the ground.

Wirt opened his eyes and looked around frantically. It wasn’t until he heard the rustling grass and hard armor footsteps drift away did he feel safe enough to run out of the patch of grass.

Greg followed right behind him, looking somewhat confused but no worse for wear. The frog followed. Someone else followed.

“Yo, did you see that?!”

It was a monster kid. Wirt recognized him somewhat from Snowdin. It looked something like a dinosaur, only just taller than Greg because of a few spikes that ran along its back.

“Undyne just…TOUCHED ME!” They exclaimed. “I’m never gonna wash my face again!”

“Congratulations!” said Greg.

The frog ribbited in agreement.

“Man, were you unlucky,” said the monster kid. “If you guys were standing just a LITTLE BIT to the left…yo, don’t worry! I’m sure we’ll see her again!”

The monster kid ran off, faster than little legs could take them. They toppled over and fell, colliding face first onto the hard ground. They were back up before Wirt could even try to help.

“I like his resolve,” said Greg.

The frog ribbited again.

The panic faded. Wirt refocused. Undyne wasn’t like Papyrus. They would have to get away from her fast. And Papyrus…

“Come on, Greg. We’re leaving.”

“Do you think we should call Papyrus?” Greg asked.

“No! You saw him; he just sold us out!”

“I guess you’re right,” Greg sighed. “And he even went on a date with you…”

“That was _not_ a date! I don’t even think he knows what a date _is_!” Wirt said.

“Better to have loved and lost than to never love at all,” said Greg. “That’s what the old people say!”

It was not worth arguing with Greg. He walked forward, and tuned out the sounds of Greg chattering.

He shouldn’t have trusted anyone.

* * *

It was the Cat who first discovered that Beatrice was missing. It was Frisk who decided to look for her. The Cat did most of the searching, mostly because he was faster and because he could rely on smell.

The Cat stopped by a building, more shack than house. The lights were still on. Voices were still audible through the glass. Frisk knocked and opened the door.

“Close that door, child! I’ll catch by death with this night air!”

Frisk jumped and scrambled to follow the instructions. The Cat barely had time to slide in. Their heart was lodged in their throat even before they were caught in the trap.

“Welcome home, child…” The voice was old and raspy, with a saccharine tone to it that Frisk recognized all too well.

Frisk’s Soul seized. They could only watch as the Cat untangled himself from the web of yarn and launched himself towards the speaker. They met Beatrice’s eyes, and saw all the hurt and guilt though they couldn’t quite tell who it was directed at. They watched as Beatrice flew away, behind them towards the window.

The room filled with dust and screams, and they panicked.

*RESET 

* * *

“Yo! You got an umbrella?”

It was that monster kid again. They were crouched under the cliff, waiting out the rain. Wirt fought the urge to scowl, and avoided looking their way. There were umbrellas not even ten feet away, why wouldn’t they grab one?

Then Wirt realized. The monster kid did not have arms. A sinking feeling of guilt filled his stomach.

“Wanna come with?” Greg asked.

“Sure!”

“Hey, Wirt, can you take Doctor Cucumber so we have room?”

“Oh, sure…” Wirt was too upset by the revelation to really think about it.

The frog hopped to under his umbrella.

Their party became four.

“So, this one time, we had a school project where we had to take care of a flower,” said the Monster Kid. “The king—we had to call him ‘Mr. Dreemurr’—”

Wirt tried to tune them out. He had no idea what he was going to do next. Undyne was going to find them, or there’d be some other threat that tried to kill them. And they would have to make it past the barrier.

Papyrus said that the king was a good guy. Papyrus also thought wearing clothes was a sign of affection.

They would have to find a way to get past Undyne. That was what Wirt needed to figure out next. There was no way she would give up the fight like Papyrus or Toriel. They might actually fight back against her. The only weapon worth its weight that they had found were a pair of ballet slippers, but if it was what separated them from dying and going home again…

Something tugged at his heart, or Soul, or whatever organ was in his chest now. It tightened.

Tree roots. Something about tree roots. Tree roots covering his entire body and fusing into his skin—

The world flashed red, then yellow.

* * *

Wirt snapped back to attention. What was _that_?

“So, this one time, we had a school project where we had to take care of a flower. The king—we had to call him ‘Mr. Dreemurr’—”

“Didn’t you already finish that story?” Wirt asked.

The monster kid and Greg stared back at him.

“I haven’t heard it yet!” said Greg.

“What?” Wirt asked.

Wirt looked around. They weren’t in the same area they were a second ago. But they had been in that area, just before Wirt got lost in his thoughts.

He looked down at the frog. The frog stopped his hopping long enough to stand up and shrug at him.

The Underground was weird, Wirt decided.

They were back at the campsite. Beatrice was not with them. The cat was still asleep. There was no LOVE in their Soul, they realized, and they clung to it like a lifeline.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a Soul User in these woods…”

The voice was old and raspy, with a malevolent tone to it that Frisk recognized all too well. Frisk looked up to the source, and saw a monster. “Tell me, how did you end up over the garden wall?”

* * *

“Behind you.”

Wirt tensed up at the Echo Flower’s message. The sound of metal footsteps grows closer.

“Don’t tell me she’s right behind us,” said Wirt.

“Okay,” said Greg.

“Seven,” said Undyne. “Seven human souls. With the power of seven human souls, our king, King Asgore Dreemurr, will become a god. With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the Barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity, and give them back the suffering and pain we have endured. I suppose…he will have a use for two.”

Wirt turned in time to see a flash of blue magic form into a solid spear. He closed his eyes as Undyne charged towards them.

“YO! UNDYNE!!! I’LL HELP YOU FIGHT!!!”

The monster kid rushed out from the reeds. They stood between them, looking back and forth until they settle on Wirt and Greg.

“Hey!!! You did it!!! You got front stage views to Undyne’s fight!!”

Wirt is sure the look he gave the monster kid is what gave the whole situation away.

“…wait. Who’s she fighting?” The monster kid asked.

Undyne moved first, surprisingly not to fight. Her spear vanished as she grabbed the monster kid’s spikes, a gesture that looks no more painful than grabbing someone by the ear. She walked away, the monster kid dragged behind her.

“That was too close,” said Wirt. “We’re not going to be able to outrun her forever.”

“I guess,” said Greg. His attention was on what Undyne had been saying.

Seven human souls, and the monsters would go free.


	9. Chapter 4

“I didn’t expect a laboratory in a place like this,” said Greg.

“What?”

Wirt was pulled out of his thoughts as he looked up. A building sat in front of them, plain except for the words “LAB” printed on its side.

“Oh,” said Wirt. “Well, maybe we should go around then.”

“I’m not sure if we can,” said Greg. He pointed to the rest of the road, barely a cliff left from where the lab ended.

“Then we’ll run in,” said Wirt. “And we’ll be very polite and we won’t stick around long enough for them to figure out we’re human.”

“Sounds like a plan. Lead the way, Spuds McKenzie!”

The frog croaked and hopped towards the lab. Two automatic doors slid open and the three walked in.

There was only one light source in the lab, a monitor that filled the room with an eerie blue glow. There was no one around, Wirt realized. The light hum of machinery felt a lot louder than it really was.

“It’s you!” Greg said, and pointed to the monitor.

Wirt turned. His reflection stared back.

“We’re leaving,” said Wirt as he pushed his brother through.

They were not halfway through the hallway when the lights snapped on, startling Wirt to a stop. A door opened beside him as a small dinosaur monster walked out. Its eyes instantly fell onto the two.

“Hello!” said Greg.

“Oh. My God.” It breathed. “I didn’t expect you to show up so soon! I haven’t showered, I’m barely dressed, it’s all messy and…”

It stopped its pacing and took a deep breath.

“Uh…h-h-hiya! I’m Dr. Alphys, King ASGORE’s royal scientist,” it said. “B-b-b-but I’m not one of the bad guys! Actually, since you stepped out of the Ruins, I’ve been, uh, been ‘observing’ your journey through my console.”

“We noticed,” said Wirt.

“I-I was originally going to stop you,” said Dr. Alphys “But there’s something about watching people on a screen that really makes you root for them. So I want to help you.”

“I think we’ll be fine,” said Wirt.

“But Wirt!” said Greg. “We could be famous!”

“She’s the only one watching us!” said Wirt. “And that’s weird!”

“A-a-actually, uh…” said Dr. Alphys. “T-t-there is a problem of…that. A long time ago, I made a robot named Mettaton. Originally, I built him to be an entertainment robot. Uh, you know, like a robotic TV star, or something. Anyway, recently I decided to make him more useful. You know, just some small practical adjustments. Like…uh…anti…anti-human combat features? And, uh…now he’s an unstoppable killing machine with a thirst for human blood?”

Wirt’s blood ran cold. A set of heavy thuds filled the room and echoed about.

“So what you’re saying is,” said Greg. “We’re going to be on TV?”

“OH YES!” A highly processed voice rang out through the lab.

* * *

The child was not there when the Cat awoke. Neither was Beatrice. The Cat could not help but think these two were related.

[I–T Zhw vlzrd ztw ikswm ð said the man who spoke in hands.

“I believe they mentioned they can do that,” said the Cat. “Is that why you want me to follow them?”

2²˜} Jo qhy eut utvv loj mlv lulnvv uf ehrjzejl? ¤Ïe8

“Hardly,” said the Cat.

ì To? «£º said the man, a tease in his voice that the Cat could not quite figure out. !¯ Zhwr grxe inmkk a tbx rhomm cfa. Tzxc nuudw kzbe inmkk a dhx ku pjhxvit qhy, vbef ls dacz tw IKSWMXZTG lamj cojeh? +YQ

The Cat said nothing. He was right of course, and he did not want to admit it out loud.

j>Zhsm oztd gy qvxcq bw bky lh wrbifz qp vegipv�ëñ74 said the man. òÂTHul B afalv keknej aicv tzxq workm. Xyky vxwvxvw ms jke lai jgmw dmej ox fiiiy jxxlxn lh xykm�ÇàP 

* * *

Frisk was the first true visitor to Aunti Whispers’ cottage in a long time. Most visitors just got eaten.

“There’d be no point to eating you, of course,” said Aunti Whispers in a tone that was probably supposed to be jokingly. “You would just come back. It’d be a waste of perfectly good spices.”

The tea was served by a young woman who was more dust than skin. It was made of golden flowers. Aunti Whispers ordered it especially for them. It was a rare plant in the Unknown, but Frisk recognized the bright colors and sharp fragrance of that in the Underground. It felt familiar, and not just because of that. It smelled like the dad guy that the Other Toriel had created. It reminded them of the flowers that had broken their fall when they first fell down, and again in the Dump.

“Now go rearrange the bones of the past visitors,” Aunti Whispers said to the servant girl.

“I already have, Aunti Whispers,” the girl said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Then clean the floor. Our guests have tracked in quite a bit of mud.”

Frisk couldn’t help but feel a wash of shame as the servant girl’s shoulders slumped and she resumed to her chores. They cocked their head to the side, a quiet indication of confusion.

“It is best that Lorna keeps to her chores,” said Aunti Whispers. “Working will keep the beast within her at bay. Now then, child, what brings you to the Unknown?”

Frisk started to sign.

“I’m afraid I do not know the language of hands,” said Aunti Whispers. She did not say it cruelly, but it was still disappointing. Frisk fetched the paper pad and pen.

_How did you know I could Save?_

“You are not the first person to enter the Unknown and use the powers of your Soul.” said Aunti Whispers. “A few of them are downstairs now.”

_I didn’t know I could do it_ , wrote down Frisk. They don’t write down the part where they found out they could do it.

Aunti Whispers hummed in thought. “Lorna! Fetch me a book from my bookshelf. Mysteries of the Soul, Volume One. Think it’s by some fellow named Faux.” 

* * *

“Oh no…” Alphys said.

“OH YES!” Mettaton announced as he popped over the kitchen counter. “WELCOME BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES TO THE UNDERGROUND’S PREMIERE COOKING SHOW! COOKING WITH A KILLER ROBOT!!! PREHEAT YOUR OVENS, BECASE WE’VE GOT A VERY SPECIAL RECIPE FOR YOU!”

“A cake?” Greg asked.

“RIGHT YOU ARE, MY LOVELY ASSISTANT!!!” Mettaton said. “GO AHEAD AND GATHER THE INGREDIENTS. THEY’RE RIGHT ON THE COUNTER BEHIND YOU!!!”

“We’re not going to be a part of any cooking show,” said Wirt.

“It’s just a cake, Wirt,” said Greg. “And the audience is counting on us.”

“LET’S GIVE THEM A HAND FOR ENCOURAGEMENT!!! Mettaton said.

A confetti cannon exploded from behind the kitchen set, covering Wirt. Greg clapped along before getting to work. He dropped off the eggs on the counter, dropped the sugar on the eggs, and the milk in the sugar.

“PERFECT!!! GREAT JOB BEAUTIFUL!!” Mettaton said. “NOW WE JUST NEED OUR SECRET INGREDIENT!!”

“Love?” Greg asked.

Mettaton held up a chainsaw.

“A HUMAN SOUL!!!”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Wirt said. “Don’t you have a substitution or something?”

“WHY WOULD I EVER NEED ONE WHEN THE REAL THING’S RIGHT HERE?” Mettaton asked.

“Well, what if someone’s….vegan?”

“VEGAN?”

“Well—”

“THAT’S A GREAT IDEA, SWEETHEART!!!” Mettaton said. “ACTUALLY, WE DO HAVE AN OPTION ON SET!! MTT BRAND COMVENIENT HUMAN SOUL SUBSTITUTE!!!”

Mettaton pointed off the kitchen set and out of the room. A wooden cabinet with a jar sat in the corner.

“That looks suspicious,” Wirt said.

“YOUR IDEA, BEAUTIFUL.” Mettaton said.

“I’ll get it! I’m a lovely assistant!” Greg said.

Greg ran off the set. The cameras followed him. No sooner did he lay a hand on the counter did it shoot up into the sky, taking Greg with him.

Wirt let out a series of panicked noises he could not quite form into words.

“OH DEAR. WHAT A TRAGEDY,” said Mettaton. “WELL, WE’RE ON A SCHEDULE, SWEETHEART. IF YOU CAN’T GET THEM BACK IN ONE MINUTE, WE’LL HAVE TO MOVE ONTO THE ORIGINAL PLAN!!!”

The phone rang.

“I know this looks bad,” said Alphys. “B-but I think I have an idea. S-see that button on your phone that says JET PACK?”

Wirt looked down at the phone.

“Press it,” said Alphys.

Wirt knew exactly where this was going.

“TIME’S RUNNING OUT, SWEETHEART!” Mettaton reminded.

Wirt swallowed, looked up to Greg so he wouldn’t have to look at the phone, and pressed the button.

He was a good twenty feet in the air before he could process his feet left the ground. He was not much higher when Mettaton began to throw things at him. The sense of vertigo faded as his attention shifted to dodging puffs of flour, eggs, and cups of sugar.

He had passed Greg by the time he was actually able to get his bearings. He looked just in time to see the jar that Greg had tossed it start to fall. Neither of them could catch it in time. It collided to the ground in a mess of glass and red goo.

“HUH,” said Mettaton. “HOW ABOUT WE GO TO A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS, AND WE’LL FINISH UP WITH THE CAKE WE MADE AHEAD OF TIME!”

Mettaton flew off closer to the real set. Wirt managed to catch himself and fly down as the dresser coiled back into himself.

“That was fun!” said Greg.

“That was terrifying!” said Wirt.

He pulled Greg closer to him, stopping him from going back to the set. Mettaton was talking to his cameramen, and wouldn’t see if they left.

“How about we leave before he notices we’re gone?” Wirt asked.

“But I wanted to try the cake,” said Greg.

* * *

It took Lorna a minute to find the book. It was old and musty, with binding falling apart at the seams and pages nearly yellow with age. It was big enough that it hit the table with a thud, regardless of how carefully Lorna put it down. Aunti Whispers turned the page carefully, leaning in as she read. Frisk tried their best to read over her head. They could only make out vague shapes; heats in different colors with pigment that faded over time, and carefully sketched triangle patterns.

“Souls hold a type of power,” read Aunti Whispers. “It holds their owner together and shapes their personality, no matter what they may go through in life. Bravery, Justice, Kindness, Patience, Perseverance, Integrity…the strongest of these, Determination. The power is rare, but its powers are innate. The ability to persist after death, or rewind time. To fix what went wrong, or what went right.”

_I thought it was like a video game_ , wrote down Frisk. _Every time I felt determined, it was like I was saving the game._

Aunti Whispers made a face of confusion. Frisk supposed she did not understand what a video game was.

“I will admit my knowledge of how Souls work is lacking,” she said. “That was not the kind of magic I work with. If you truly want to find the powers of your Soul, you should try to look within the Kingdom of Monsters.”

Frisk perked up.

_That’s what I want to do!_ They wrote. _Do you know how to get there?_

“There is a way,” said Aunti Whispers. “But I do not know it. How did you end up in the Unknown in the first place?”

Another wash of shame overcame Frisk as they started writing. _I reset._

Aunti Whispers studied them carefully, eyes cold with something Frisk could not read. “Were you here before?”

Frisk shook their head. They started to write things down, that they were in the Underground at first and then the Other World, but Aunti Whispers spoke again.

“The other ones that used Determination were much older than you, you realize. They were much more in control of what they could do. If you came about the power recently, you may not be well-equipped to use it. One small slip, and you may have traded places with someone.”

Frisk nodded.

_I know I have,_ they sign. _That’s why I want to go back. But not before I fix things._

Aunti Whispers did not understand.

Lorna did not fall asleep until well into the night, as her body finally collapsed from exhaustion. Frisk did not fall asleep until after that. Though Aunti Whispers had proven she had no ill will towards them, her house was not exactly comfortable sleeping in.

When they woke up, Lorna made them a small breakfast of things they couldn’t quite eat and more tea. Aunti Whispers only emerged to give Lorna more orders and give a final warning to Frisk.

“Beware my sister, Adelaide. She lives in the pasture. She must not be trusted.”

The Cat was waiting for them outside the house, curled up in a tree.

“I was wondering when you’d step out,” said the Cat. He sounded like he did not care. “I take it that little trick was how you ended up in the Other World, yes?”

Frisk nodded.

_Didn’t mean to,_ they signed. _You were in danger._

The Cat watches them carefully, as if looking for a sign they were lying. His sign reading was not too good, but he could ready body language.

“I don’t believe Beatrice will be joining us again,” said the Cat. “Do you know the cause of that?”

Frisk nodded. They didn’t want to say, and the Cat probably would not understand them anyway.

The two of them head off into the unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE: Originally when I posted this, I just had garbled text for Gaster's dialogue. However, in the spirit of Gravity Falls, I've modified it and put in a code. Hopefully the code works...if not, here's some different garbled text.


	10. Chapter 5

“Now, how can I—”

King Asgore stopped as he saw him. He flinched, ever so slightly, as if he had struck him. He turned away from him, eyes on the flowers.

“Hi Mr. King!” said Greg.

“I so badly want to say, ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’” said King Asgore. “But…you know how it is. You know what we must do.”

“I don’t like tea all that much, anyway,” said Greg.

Mr. King smiled at that, although it wasn’t really a happy smile. It was the kind of smile he saw old people do when whatever he said had upset them in some way. He decided to move on.

“Mr. King,” said Greg. “My brother and I would really like to get home. But I know you can’t leave until you get another Soul, so do you want to take mine?”

Mr. King’s eyes flickered with something sad.

“That is quite noble of you,” he said, his voice shaking.

“I don’t know what that word means,” said Greg. “But he deserves to get onto the Surface more than I do. My bro’s really cool, you know. Even if he doesn’t see it all the time.”

“It means you are quite kind, and you are making a big sacrifice,” said the King. “And I hope your brother knows how ‘cool’ you are as well.”

“I think he does, even though he doesn’t say it all the time,” said Greg. “Oh, and Mr. King?”

He pulled the rock out of his overalls.

“When you get to the Surface, could you give this back to Mrs. Daniels? I kinda stole it.”

King Asgore reached for his Soul with gentle paws, and froze as he as struck.

“You idiot…you haven’t changed a thing.”

*RESET

“You are starting to test my patience, Woodsman,” said the Beast. “Do you not care about keeping the lantern lit? Do you not care about the Soul of your daughter?”

“You cannot trade children like they are tokens!”

“If you are so concerned about them, why don’t you let me take the lantern for a bit?” The Beast asked.

“I’ve fought you for it before, and I would rather die than see it in your hands again!”

“It will happen eventually,” said the Beast. “Their Determination will run out eventually, and like all things, they will return to the forest. As will you.”

They chuckled at that, as if it were some funny joke. They have had this conversation before, but now he could find nothing new to say.

The Beast’s song filled the silence between them.


	11. Chapter 1

The last thing they saw before their Soul shattered was the terrified look on Toriel’s face. Panic. Fear. Guilt. It all passed by so quickly that they could not even process it until after the fact. It was a lot more painful than the very real death they were experiencing right at that moment.

*RESET

The first thing they saw as they woke up was a field of golden flowers. This was true the first time they fell down the mountain and now.

They pulled themselves back up from the flowers and reexamined themselves. The skid on their knee from the fall was healed. The scratch on their elbow from the fight with the Vegetoid was not, so they move the bandage there. Their skin was light pink with burns, not serious enough to require treatment even if they deserved it.

So what had happened? They remembered the fight. They remembered Toriel. They remembered surviving the fall and surviving against all the other monsters and surviving…

They weren’t surprised to see Flowey in the next room. They were surprised to see that his expression shifted when they moved past the friendliness pellets this time, and by what he said next.

“You know what’s going on here, don’t you? DIE.”

The next parts happened just like they remembered it. Flowey encircled their Soul in friendliness pellets. Flowey was knocked away. Someone came.

“My, what a loathesome creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth…”

They tried staying that time. It never worked. They never fell asleep no matter how hard they tried. Time never progressed.

“You must stay determined! You are the future of humans and monsters!”

The Wind in the Leaves

An Undertale/Paranorman crossover

By the Poor Sap Advocate

The zombies were not as concerning to them as they probably should have been. The whole room had been decorated with them; some realistic and grotesque, but most looking like something Mettaton would have in his shows. As they get used to their environment and snuggled into the zombie-printed blankets, they heard the sounds of voices underneath them. The realization scared them more than the zombies, and caused them the bolt of the bed. This was _someone else’s_ house.

They did not have much time to think about it. Footsteps were getting closer, and whoever was coming would not expect to see Frisk. They jumped under the bed and hid.

The footsteps grew closer, but not by much. The door rattled with knocks.

“Norman! Time to go to school!”

The door squeaked open and the approacher took a few steps inside. Not far enough to make them out. They stayed for a moment, before muttering something under their breath and leaving, closing the door behind them again.

Frisk stayed under the bed until the sounds of footsteps and voices had all but left, as the occupants went about their daily business. It did not take long, or at least, not as long as they have had to do this before.

“Alright, everyone’s left by now. Would you like to come out now?”

Frisk froze. That was not the same voice at the door, nor any of the other voices they had heard. No one else was in the room. They knew that. With trepidation, they poked their head out.

Someone was right in front of them. She must have been human, at one point. Yet the part Frisk couldn’t move past was the unearthly green glow around her.

“Wow,” she said. “I didn’t think you would actually hear me.”

* * *

It was a ghost. Anyone could have figured that one out. Norman interacted with ghosts on a daily basis. He lived with them, had some walk to school with him, ate lunch with them when none of the other students would sit with him. They were the closest things he could call friends. He knew ghosts better than anyone else in Blithe’s Hollow, maybe the entire world, did.

And that _thing_ was not a ghost.

Ghosts were human, or dogs, or whatever they were before they died. Ghosts looked normal, though some who remembered how they died may still be missing an arm or have a cannon hole where their belly should be. Ghosts were surrounded in a sickly green aura as they interacted beyond the veil of death.

The thing that lay in front of him looked more like what a crude characteristic of a ghost looked like. It was human sized, but lacked any defining features. It looked more like what someone would wear for a cheap Halloween costume of a ghost.

“ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ,” said the thing that was not a ghost.

He was pretending to be asleep, Norman realized. And he was really bad at it.

He was in a world of monsters, so maybe the thing in front of him was a monster ghost? It seemed to be the most likely answer. It was not like the Underground was making any sense so far. Still, he was going to have to get past the thing, and he would prefer to do it without hurting him.

“Uh, excuse me,” Norman spoke up.

Two eyes, black and round like buttons, snapped open and looked towards Norman. Two flickers of light filled them.

Norman’s Soul leapt from his chest, and the battle began. Here comes Napstablook.

“Sorry, I just—“

Norman stopped as white tears leaked from the ghosts’ eyes. For a moment, he felt bad. He opened his mouth to apologize.

The tears shot past him and impacted on his Soul. It took him a minute to recover from the attack, but when he looked up, the ghost looked worse than before.

“oh…sorry…I just…” they stammered.

Toriel said that the monsters may attack him. But she also said the best way to get past them was just to strike a friendly conversation.

“You’re fine, I just…need to get past…”

The ghost’s tears slowed. Norman found those a lot easier to dodge.

“right…sorry…”

“Hey, it’s okay—”

The ghost was gone before Norman could finish.

* * *

Mrs. Babcock walked them through the steps of making hot chocolate. She would have made it herself, but she could no longer hold the cups or cocoa powder.

“You’re too young to be breaking in,” she decided. “And if you’re a guest, then you get refreshments.”

Frisk only had a few moments to enjoy the cozy home and the hot chocolate before the questioning began.

“So how did you end up here, kid?” Mrs. Babcock asked. It was a well-meaning question, and it was said with such a casual tone that it almost wasn’t a stab in Frisk’s Soul. With shaking hands, they put down the hot chocolate and reached for the notepad and pen.

“‘Sorry’,” read Mrs. Babcock. Her face contorted in confusion. “What do you have to be sorry for?”

Frisk shifted as they wrote.

_Got lost. Trying to fix it. Think I made it worse._

Mrs. Babcock was silent for a moment. Frisk stared at her, trying to figure out what she was thinking and whether or not they should be concerned just yet.

“When you…tried to fix it,” said Mrs. Babcock. “Did you do anything… _weird_? Something most humans can’t do?”

Frisk nodded, albeit hesitantly.

“I figured as much,” said Mrs. Babcock. “Most people can’t see me, you know? Norman was the only one…do you know what happened to him?”

Frisk hands shook more, to the point where it was even harder to write. They weren’t even sure what they wanted to write. If Norman ended up in the Underground, he would probably be fine. But they did not know what would happen if he ended up in a place like the Unknown, or the Other World. And what if he wouldn’t be fine in the Underground? What if he hurt someone or someone hurt him or

“Kid?”

Mrs. Babcock’s voice shook them back to attention. They started writing.

“Kid!”

Two hands reached over Frisk, and even though they did not touch them, Frisk’s hands stopped.

“I’m not mad at you.” Mrs. Babcock said. “It sounds like you’ve made some mistakes. But you’re still a kid. You have all the time in the world to fix them.”

It took Frisk a moment to stop shaking and look back up at the ghost. Mrs. Babcock waited patiently for them before she continued.

“I’ll tell you what,” said Mrs. Babcock. “I happen to know someone who knows more about this supernatural sh… _stuff_ than I do. Why don’t we go visit him, and see if he knows what’s going on?”

The stuff sounded forced, like she wanted to say something else. Still, that was maybe the best plan they had so far. Mrs. Babcock’s words made them feel more determined to make this right.

*File SAVED

* * *

There was something about Toriel that concerned him. She had been the only thing in the Underground that had not attack him, but the way she spoke made him suspicious. They were innocuous things, like where her favorite bug-hunting spot was or the things she usually made for dinner. Yet they were laced with an edge that implied Norman was not going to leave for a long time.

The box full of shoes in a disparity of sizes sealed the deal. Norman had to leave.


	12. Chapter 2

It became clear quickly that Mrs. Babcock was not the only ghost in Blithe’s Hollow. Just stepping out the door, Frisk found themselves in a world of people surrounding in green auras. Most were human. Most wore the signs they carried with them when they died, from skin worn with age or necks still connected to the nooses that hung them. All saw Frisk staring at them and greeted them with a smile and a handshake, especially as Mrs. Babcock approached them.

Most also saw Mrs. Babcock and changed their tone to the kind adults used when they though children couldn’t hear them. Mrs. Babcock responded back and changed her tone to the kind adults used when they were done discussing something and wanted to end the conversation as politely as possible. There was only one person Mrs. Babcock bothered to stop and have a conversation with. It was another ghost that probably was as old as Mrs. Babcock when she died, but her body was far more wrung and frail.

Frisk did not pay attention to the entire conversation. They changed their tone to the kind adults use and children recognize as not worth their time to eavesdrop. Besides, they had found a ghost dog. 

* * *

There was a skeleton outside the door of the Ruins. This did not surprise Norman as much as he thought it would. Skeletons were more likely to be monsters than flowers or goats. The skeleton was not as scary as he should be, either. No cracks in the skull, or guts spilling from the ribcage…he was even wearing a turtleneck underneath his hoodie.

The skeleton monster actually seemed to be more surprised by Norman than Norman was of him. A world of emotions passed behind the skeleton’s rather expressive eyesockets before Norman could really put together what he was seeing. By the time Norman found himself able to talk again, the skeleton had beat him to it.

“just one of you this time, huh?”

“Uh…yes?”

“great. let’s see if we can’t get one of those other lamps to work for ya.”

* * *

In a lot of ways, Frisk could understand why Monsterkind held the Dump in such high regard. After all, where else would the anime end up? It was the only way they had left to see what was happening on the Surface.

What they could not understand was how one managed to live in a house and a dump simultaneously. Even the old house by Blook Acres was in better condition than the one Mrs. Babcock led them to. It sat on the edge of town, far enough away that nobody would think to find it. It barely stood on its own; wood beams falling off and tarps replaced roofing.

Mrs. Babcock appeared to have the same reservations Frisk did. She appeared just to wrinkle her nose at the things she could not smell, and looked down at Frisk to give them an encouraging nod.

Frisk summoned their determination and knocked on the door.

There was an audible thud as the occupant jumped at the sound.

“Who’s there!” A grizzle voice called from inside. “I’m warning you, I already withstood a hummus attack! I’m made of steel!”

“Calm down, John, it’s just us!” said Mrs. Babcock.

There was a moment of silence. The door creaked open. Two bright blue eyes, virturally hidden under thick black eyebrows, stared at the two.

“Elaine,” the occupant said. “Never thought _you’d_ be here.”

“Well, never thought I would need to come in,” said Mrs. Babcock. “Now would you let us in? We’ll catch our death out here.”

The eyes drifted down to Frisk. “And what’s that?”

Frisk waved.

“I literally just had a stroke; I don’t have time for this…thing!”

“Listen,” said Mrs. Babcock. “I know how you feel about me, but you’re the only one left who can help them out. I mean look at them! They’re not even Norman’s age yet!”

The blue eyes focused on Frisk closer. The door swung open, revealing the face and body attached. The occupant looked just as old and ghastly as Mrs. Babcock did. The only thing that stopped Frisk from thinking he was a ghost was the lack of green air about him.

“They can see you,” said the man.

“Yes,” said Mrs. Babcock. “We don’t know how yet, but it has to do something with Norman.”

“And where is Norman?” The man asked.

Mrs. Babcock fell silent at that. Both eyes were on Frisk.

Frisk signed _gone_ with a hesitant shrug.

The man looked towards Mrs. Babcock for confirmation.

“Whatever they did to end up here, they think it sent Norman back,” said Mrs. Babcock. “We need your help.”

The man stopped his staring only to dissolve in a fit of coughs that did not sound like they were natural. “I don’t have any time left. If Norman’s gone…then you’ll do.”

Frisk found themself being pulled up into the air and carried into the house. They were put on a desk before they could complain. A book was thrust into their arms.

“At sunset tonight, take this to the place where the Witch is buried,” The man collapsed into another coughing fit. He fell to the floor, and then he stopped moving altogether.

Before they could move, a fog of green formed where the man had stood.

“Ya got that, kid?” The man asked.

Frisk nodded.

“Good! The world’s counting on you! I’m free!”

The house lit up as the ghost of Mr. Prenderghast laid itself to rest.

When monsters died, their bodies turned to dust. Their souls shattered. There was no real mess to have to take care of. Frisk wished they did not know that.

Humans were different. They realized that as they stared at the body.

“He’s the groundskeeper for the cemetery; he’s bound to have made some sort of arrangement,” said Mrs. Babcock, though Frisk could tell she was mostly talking to herself. “You shouldn’t have to be the one to call him in, kid. They’ll find him eventually.”

Their attention was on the book that had been shoved in their arms. It was even older than the man, and resembled more one of the books Aunti Whispers had. They opened it up, and were surprised to find illustrations inside. Gorgeous pictures, only slightly diminished by the age of the book, of princes and princesses. The page showed the most signs of use, with dog-eared corners and notes scribbled in runes and chicken-scratch notes that Frisk could not read if they tried. It took Frisk some time to figure out the fancy calligraphy of the title: The Tale of Sleeping Beauty.

They switched the book for the notebook and asked Mrs. Babcock where the cemetery was.

* * *

“YOU’VE TAUGHT ME A LOT, HUMAN. I HEREBY GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO PASS THROUGH! “ said Papyrus. “AND I’LL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS TO THE SURFACE! CONTINUE FORWARD UNTIL YOU REACH THE END OF THE CAVERN. THEN, WHEN YOU REACH THE CAPITOL, CROSS THE BARRIER. THAT’S THE MAGICAL SEAL TRAPPING US ALL UNDERGROUND. ANYTHING CAN ENTER THROUGH IT, BUT NOTHING CAN EXIT…EXCEPT SOMEONE WITH A POWERFUL SOUL.”

“Like me?” Norman asked.

“ LIKE YOU!!!” said Papyrus. “THAT’S WHY THE KING WANTS TO AQUIRE A HUMAN. HE WANTS TO OPEN THE BARRIER WITH SOUL POWER. THEN US MONSTERS CAN RETURN TO THE SURFACE! OH, I ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU…

“TO CROSS THE BARRIER, YOU WILL HAVE TO PASS…THROUGH THE KING’S CASTLE. THE KING OF ALL MONSTERS…ASGORE DREEMURR.”

A chill ran up Norman’s back, and he was sure it was not because of the chill of Snowdin. Papyrus’ tone had shifted in a way Norman did not think possible from the happy skeleton.

“HE’S…WELL…HE’S A BIG FUZZY PUSHOVER!” said Papyrus. “EVERYBODY LOVES THAT GUY! I AM CERTAIN IF YOU JUST SAY…’EXCUSE ME, MR. DREEMURR, CAN I PLEASE GO HOME?’ HE’LL GUIDE YOU RIGHT TO THE BARRIER HIMSELF! ANYWAY!!! THAT’S ENOUGH TALKING!!! I’LL BE AT HOME BEING A COOL FRIEND!!!”

Papyrus moved back towards his house in a pattern Norman could not describe with words, laughing along the way. It took Norman a bit longer to process what Papyrus had said and move again.

He would have to fight the King of All Monsters. He was willing to bet it would not be as easy as Papyrus had been.

The new area started abruptly, like he had just stepped into a doorway into another room. It was vastly different than Snowdin, with bare cave walls and an uncomfortable humidity that had him tugging at his jacket.

“hey kid.”

Sans sat at another checkpoint station that looked remarkably like his old one, even down to the snow on the roof. For just a moment, Norman tried to figure out why it was there and how it hadn’t melted yet.

“thinkin’ of headin’ to grillby’s. wanna join me?”

Norman was about to decline when he realized the last decent thing he had to eat was the Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie, and that was a long time ago. If he was going to get close to the King of All Monsters, he would have to eat something.

“Uh, sure…”

“great. c’mon, i know a shortcut.”

* * *

It did not really feel like it took them long to get to the cemetery. It felt a lot longer to Frisk.

The Cat was there waiting for them. He rushed to Frisk in a move that looked a lot more like he wanted to get his paws off the damp earth rather than greet them, growled at Mrs. Babcock as the specter took shape, and jumped up onto Frisk’s shoulders.

It did not take them long to find the graves that Mr. Prenderghast was talking about. It was sunset, time to read the story.

They opened up to the book to the heavily marked paged and looked up. What were they supposed to do? Read it aloud? They knew their voice was not going to work, even if they tried.

“What is it that you’re trying to do?” The Cat asked.

They didn’t exactly have time to explain. They held the book up for him the way they would their notebook.

“I really don’t read the language of humans unless it comes from you,” said the Cat. “And I would prefer not to unless you tell me what’s going on.”

Frisk turned around. Mrs. Babcock was not there to read it for them.

The sun dipped below the horizon, and sets of skeletal hands shot from the ground.

* * *

Norman was not entirely sure how they had gotten to the bar, only that they were as they turned the corner.

“pretty neat shortcut, huh?” sans asked.

Norman did not have time to answer. Everyone in the bar had taken to greeting sans. He followed sans sheepishly towards the bar and took one of the stools.

“so what sounds good, kid?”

“Uh…a burger?”

“alright. grillz, two orders of burg.”

The bartender, who looked like his entire body was made of fire, gave the two a scrutinizing look before disappearing into the back.

“so, kid…”

The atmosphere of the bar grew heavy.

“do you know anything about a talking flower?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Where else would the anime end up?" is my favorite thing I've ever written


	13. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for some reason AO3 saved Part 2 Chapter 5 as a draft and didn't want to tell me about it. It should be up now.

Undyne was right behind him.

Norman ran along the piers in the Waterfall. Energy spears shot up from the ground, never quite hitting him but always getting closer than he wanted them to be. The floor was splitting below him.

He reached a dead end. Undyne’s footsteps, loud metal clacking on wood, slowed. She knew it was a dead end too.

He turned and saw her take one more step, right where her spears had splintered the wood already. There was a sickening cracking noise as the bridge collapsed. He fell.

“It sounded like it came from over here…Oh! You’ve fallen down, haven’t you? Are you okay? Here, get up…Chara, huh? That’s a nice name. My name is—”

It took Norman a minute to regain his bearings. He had landed on a patch of golden flowers, the same kind that were in the Ruins. Above head, he could make out just the faintest rays of the sun. He was still in the Underground.

What was _that_? It was too vivid to be a dream, he realized, and he did not think he had fallen asleep anyway. It was more like a vision. He did not recall having visions, but for some reason, the idea felt right in his head. If he could see ghosts, anything was possible, he supposed.

There was no point of worrying about it now. If it was a vision, it had not told him enough to make sense of it. Norman picked himself up and continued forward. 

* * *

There was no other way to describe the things that emerged from the ground: they were zombies. They looked as ever bit grotesque as the art in Norman’s room depicted them; pale green skin that should have rotted, skeletal limbs and organs that should be spilling out.

The FIGHT began.

The Cat ran in-between Frisk and the zombies, hair sticking on ends and a hiss in his throat. He stood ready to pounce at the first sign of conflict. Without thinking about it, Frisk ran a CHECK on the closest one.

????? 80 ATK 80 DEF

He’s been asleep for a long time. It’s not his fault.

The zombie lurched forward, but did not otherwise attack.

*CHECK *TALK

*CONSOLE *CRITISIZE

*STEAL WIG

_Hi! I’m F-R-I-S-K!_ They signed quickly, ending with a little wave.

The zombies gave her a confused look. Maybe they didn’t understand signing. Frisk reached for their notebook and wrote it down during the zombie’s turn.

The zombie with the wig leaned into it, old eyes struggling to read it. He reached for the notebook and pen.

JUDGE HOPKINS 80 ATK 80 DEF

He’s been asleep for a long time. He did what he had to do. 

* * *

The place Norman had landed in was a Dump. Most of the garbage had been kept in bins and bags, but quite a bit was flowing through the pond freely. Norman could make out some things that were clearly monster-made, like gloves for six-fingered folk and a jar of construction paper labelled “Temmy Flaeks.” Most of it, however, looked like it came from above; coolers, desktop computers with empty contents, DVD cases with desperate claw marks covering the surface.

Norman was so absorbed in looking for the human-made things that he hardly noticed when the Training Dummy jumped in front of him.

“HAHAHAHA…Too intimidated to fight me, huh!?” said the Dummy. “I am a ghost that lives inside a DUMMY. My cousin used to live inside a dummy, too. Until…YOU CAME ALONG!”

He barely remembered the Dummy, all the way back in the Ruins. Toriel had just told him to talk to it. It did not even answer back.

“What did I do?” Norman asked.

“When you talked to them, they thought they were in for a nice chat,” Said the Dummy. “But the things you SAID…! Horrible. Shocking! UNBELIEVABLE!”

Norman may not have remembered the Dummy very well, but he knew that all he did was ask him how the weather was before Toriel said that was good enough.

“It spooked them right out of their dummy! HUMAN! I’ll scare your Soul out of your body!”

Mad Dummy blocks the way.

“Listen, I didn’t mean—“ Norman started.

He stopped as a series of dummy-shaped bullets were fired his way. He jumped out of the way. He jumped back as they spun around like boomerangs and rushed back to him.

“OWWWW, you DUMMIES!! Watch where you’re aiming you MAGIC attacks!” the dummy cried. “Wait…forget I said that!”

Another set of bullets fired towards him, but Norman easily dodged them and watched them fire back at the Mad Dummy.

“HEY GUYS!” The Mad Dummy shouted as he summoned his next round of bullets. “Dummies. Dummies! DUMMIES! YOU’RE FIRED! YOU’RE ALL BEING REPLACED!!!”

The dummy bullets faded out of existence with sheepish expressions,

“Now you’ll see my real power,” said the Mad Dummy. “Relying on people that aren’t garbage!”

Mechanical whirs filled the room. Norman tried to talk him down again. He didn’t seem much for conversation. Nobody was happy with this.

The next set of bullets appeared, bulkier and boxier than the others. Norman jumped out of the way like the others, only to turn around and find they were still chasing him down. He ran forward, coming face to nuzzle with the Mad Dummy as they lost course and plowed into it.

“DUMMY BOTS! You’re awful???” the Mad Dummy cried.

More missiles were launched towards Norman, and he found himself running in circles. A few more hit the Mad Dummy.

“Who cares. Who cares! WHO CARES!!! I DON’T NEED FRIENDS!”

The dummy bots vanished, and were replaced with a single large bullet.

“I GOT KNIVES!!!”

The knife landed by Norman’s feet.

“I’m…out of knives.”

More bullets filled the field, but not the ones the Mad Dummy used. Most of them faded out before they got close to Norman, instead landing on the Mad Dummy and sizzling.

“Wh-what the heck is this? Acid rain?” said the Mad Dummy. “Oh FORGET IT! I’m outta here!”

The Mad Dummy slipped past Norman and back out into the fields of worthless garbage.

“…sorry, I interrupted you, didn’t I? as soon as I came over, your friend immediately left…oh no, it looked like you guys were having fun…oh no………………………………………………………………………………..”

* * *

There was a storm brewing in Blithe’s Hollow. As soon as the sun set and the dead rose, there was a chill in the air. Storm clouds hung in the air, crackling with thunder. Frisk could just make out the shapes that formed as they swirled. But it was not just a storm; that much was obvious. There was a type of pressure on their Soul, the same they usually felt as a Fight started. Something else was going on.

After a long back and forth conversation between two people that could not talk and two games of tic-tac-toe, Frisk understood better. The witch was not buried with the judges. They would have to find her grave, and start from there. Judge Hopkins was the only one, possibly ever, who knew where she was buried, so he led the way.

The town was deathly still. What was once packed with ghosts and people now only held a few cars and bystanders. The only sign that there was still life were the neon signs and traffic lights.

For some reason, that scared the zombies the most.

I know, gas prices have gone too high, Frisk wrote down in the notebook, because it seemed like a smart thing to say.

Judge Hopkins snatched the notebook from them and began writing furiously. He had filled nearly a page when they first heard the screams.

* * *

“well…I’m gonna go head home now…” said Napstablook. “oh…feel free to ‘come with’ if you want…but no pressure…”

“I don’t want to impose,” said Norman.

“neither do I…” said Napstablook.

They didn’t seem much for conversation. Nobody was happy with this.

“I live up just this way, in case you want to join me…” said Napstablook. “or, in case, you don’t…”

The neighborhood that sat just above the dump was small. There were only a handful of houses but they were all uniquely shaped. No one house looked the same, and no one house looked like a real house. Even Napstablook’s house was built into its neighbors, forming a perfectly symmetrical image.

The interior was much more what Norman would have expected. There were no chairs, but he remembered how his grandmother liked to phase in and out of furniture and figured most ghosts didn’t invest in things they could not touch. Yet there was a desk with a working computer, a small TV, even a refrigerator. And on the other side of the house were piles and piles of CDs.

“uh…do you wanna…listen to some tunes, or something…?” Napstablook asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am aware I spelled criticize wrong. Frisk is not. Frisk is like 6.


	14. Chapter 4

More people came outside. They stared at the zombies. The zombies stared back.

Finally one woman moved and pulled a shotgun from behind her back. “KILL ‘EM IN THE HEAD!”

Frisk rushed out between them. They started to sign.

“THEY HAVE A HOSTAGE!”

“SOMEBODY SAVE THAT CHILD!”

Frisk tried to say something else. They were shoved back before they could get their hands up, past the crowd of the zombies.

Judge Hopkins took them by the shoulders and steadied them. With one hand, he gave them back the book of fairy tales and the notebook. With the other, he took his hand of Frisk’s shoulder and pointed into the forest.

Frisk nodded in understanding.

A gunshot rang through the increasingly large crowd. Judge Hopkins nearly fell over as it collided with his stomach. Instantly, Frisk opened up their FIGHT menu and ran a Check.

Judge Hopkins 80 ATK 80 DEF

He fell down a long time ago. He let his fear control him.

* * *

“Are you serious?” said Norman and Alphys at the same time.

“OHHHHHH YESSS!!!” said Mettaton. “GOOD EVENING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES! THIS IS METTATON, REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS!

“AN INTERESTING SITUATION HAS ARISEN IN EASTERN HOTLAND! FORTUNATELY, OR CORRESPONDENT IS OUT THERE, REPORTING LIVE! BRAVE CORRESPONDENT! PLEASE FIND SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY TO REPORT! OUR TEN WONDERFUL VIEWERS ARE WAITING FOR YOU!!”

It was a bit hard to see clearly with the sets Mettaton had put up, but there were objects that looked out of place scattered across the platform. A basketball that looked more plush that rubber, a binder, a CD case…

“A dog?” Norman asked aloud.

The dog barked and wagged its tail at him.

* * *

“WHAT A SENSATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR A STORY!” said Mettaton. “A DOG EXISTS SOMEWHERE. FRANKLY, I’M BLOWN AWAN.”

The dog continued to wag its tail. A glint of black and orange at the end made Norman’s head turn.

“MY COULD THAT BE…IT IS! IT’S A BOMB!”

The backdrops fell apart. Mettaton hovered closer to Norman.

“OH MY!” said Mettaton. “IT APPEARS EVERYTHING IN THIS ROOM IS A BOMB! THAT PRESENT’S A BOMB! THAT BASKETBALL’S A BOMB! EVEN MY WORDS ARE—!”

_Boom!_

“BRAVE CORRESPONDENT,” Mettaton continued. “IF YOU DO NOT DEFUSE ALL OF THESE BOMBS, THS BIG BOMB WILL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS IN TWO MINUTES! THEN YOU WON’T BE REPORTING ‘LIVE’ ANY LONGER! HOW TERRIBLE! HOW DISTURBING! OUR NINE VIEWERS ARE GOING TO LOVE WATCHING THIS! GOOD LUCK DARLING!!”

Panic swelled in Norman. Was he being serious?

The phone rang.

“Is now really the time?” Norman asked as he answered.

Alphys squeaked. “S-sorry, but don’t worry! I installed a bomb-defusing program on your phone!”

That one took Norman aback.

“Why would you have thought of that?” Norman asked.

“u-uh, I—“

“YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME, DARLING!!” Mettaton spoke up.

He was right. Norman would just have to ask about that later. 

* * *

The riots did not stop even after Frisk got away. They wondered if there was anything that could make them stop. They dove inside a nearby alley and hid. Occasionally, they would poke their head behind the corner and watch as things got progressively worse.

There was fire now. The smoke blended in with the rest of the storm.

It took longer for the Cat to find them. The townspeople were probably superstitious of him, too. He gave Frisk a quick glance over to see they weren’t seriously hurt. His eyes narrowed at the book in their hands.

The Witch was watching them. The swirling clouds above began to take shape, and two glowing eyes stared down at them.

Frisk opened up the book and opened their mouth. Their voice seized up.

The cloud’s mouth opened. The sounds of cackling collided with the sounds of thunder. Lighting struck down, and as Frisk faded into unconsciousness, they heard something.

“I’m not listening to that story anymore.”

* * *

**NAPSTABLOOK22 sent you a friend request. Accept?**

The notification vanished before Norman could even tap it.

**Seems like it rejected itself…** said the Undernet.

Norman sighed as he put the phone away. He would have to find a way to talk to Napstablook later. Right now, he had more pressing concerns.

Behind this door must be the elevator to the King’s Castle. If he could get through it, and then get past the king, he would be home. Something swelled in him that he could not quite place as he stepped inside.

The room was surprisingly empty. Only a few lights were overhead, as dim as they could get. A chill ran down Norman’s spine as he took a few more steps forward. He wasn’t sure if he should be surprised when he saw Mettaton waiting.

“OH YES,” said Mettaon. “THERE YOU ARE, DARLING. IT’S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT’S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE ‘MALFUNCTIONING’ ROBOT. …NOT!!!

“MALFUNCTIONING? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU A FOOL THE WHOLE TIME. AND NOW, IT’S TIME FOR HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM. DURING OUR ‘BATTLE’, SHE WILL INTERRUPT. SHE WILL PRETEND TO ‘DEACTIVATE’ ME, ‘SAVING’ YOU ONE FINAL TIME. FINALLY. SHE’LL BE THE HERO OF YOUR ADVENTURE. YOU’LL REGARD HER SO HIGHLY SHE’LL EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU NOT TO LEAVE. …OR NOT. YOU SEE, I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS. FAR FROM IT, ACTUALLY. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW, DON’T THEY? AND WHAT’S A GOOD SHOW…WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?”

“h-Hey? What’s going on?” Alphys’ voice echoed from behind the door.

“SORRY, FOLKS! THE OLD PROGRAM’S BEEN CANCELLED!!!” Mettaton continued. “BUT WE’VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!!”

The platform lit up in magenta stage lights. It shot itself up into the air, Norman and Mettaton still on it.

“REAL DRAMA!! REAL ACTION!! REAL BLOODSHED!! ON OUR NEW SHOW…ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!”

Norman’s Soul jumped from his body. Instinctively, he reached for the phone and pressed the yellow button.

“THAT WORTHLESS PEA-SHOOTER WON’T WORK ON ME,” said Mettaton. “DON’T YOU KNOW WHAT ACTING IS?”

The phone started to ring. He answered.

“U..uh…I can’t see what’s going on in there, but…” said Alphys. “Don’t give up! Th…there’s o-one l-l-last way to beat Mettaton. It’s…um…it’s…This is a work in progress, so don’t judge it too hard…if you can turn him around and press the switch on his backside, he’ll…he’ll become…vulnerable. G-gotta go!”

She hung up before Norman could get a word in edgewise.

Mettaton was still monologuing about something. He probably did not even see him on the phone.

If he was right, Norman realized, then there was no reason to trust Alphys. And if he was right, Norman realized, he was out of options anyway.

“H-hey Mettaton,” Norman spoke up. “There’s a mirror behind you, if you want to get ready for your big show?”

“OH???”

Mettaton turned.

The switch was huge, nearly taking up half the back panel. Someone had even taken time to hastily write “SWITCH” with an arrow over it. Norman decided not to waste any time. He jumped forward and flipped it.

Mettaton froze.

“DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?”

Norman did not get the chance the answer. Mettaton spun. The lights on his face lit on and off randomly. The mechanical bits of him screamed. Puffs of smoke and fumes seeped from his joints, nearly blinding Norman.

And then it stopped.

“OHHH YES…”

* * *

“…on this day, you have been charged for the horrible crimes of witchcraft…witnessed by those whose testimonies have been heard…”

They were somewhere dark. Eyes watched them from every corner. Out of the shadows stood the judge.

“…you have been found by this court to be guilty…”

But this was not their judgement.

“I was only playing,” said a weak voice beside them.

There was a girl beside them, only a little older than Frisk. The eyes focused onto her, and she shrank under their gaze.

“Aye,” said the Judge. “Playing with _fire_! And it is passed on you, according to your grievous crimes, execution!”

The shadows with eyes came out of the shadows and approached them, taking up the space.

“No! I didn’t do anything wrong!” said the girl. “Leave me alone, or I’ll make you sorry! I’ll make you all _sorry_!”

The girl’s skin lit up with yellow magic, and the bright lights broke apart the darkness.

When Frisk came back around, they were on the floor in an unfamiliar room.

“You know,” said the Cat, his mouth full of their sleeve as he dragged them along. “One of these days you’re going to have to accept that you can’t fix everything.”

It took them a moment to figure out what he was talking about. The storm outside still raged, and the voices of the mob were muffled through the building’s walls.

* * *

“OOH, LOOK AT THESE RATINGS! WE’VE REACHED OUR VIEWER CALL IN MILESTONE! ONE LUCKY VIEWER WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK TO ME…BEFORE I LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND FOREVER! LET’S SEE WHO CALLS IN FIRST!”

The phone started to ring. Norman took a look at the caller ID and his eyebrows shot up. Not knowing what else to do, he put it on speaker.

“HI, YOU’RE ON TV! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THIS, OUR FINAL SHOW?”

“oh…hi Mettaton…” said Napstablook.

And just like that, Mettaton’s demeanor dropped. His wild expressions vanished, now replaced with a thin expression that looked like it was holding back a lot. His eyes drifted from the floor to the phone.

“I really liked watching your show…” said Napstablook. “my life is pretty boring... but…seeing you on the screen…brought excitement to my life…vicariously…”

Mettaton’s expression cracked again, and this time it became clear he was holding back tears.

And then Norman put it together.

“I can’t tell, but…I guess this is the last episode…? I’ll miss you…Mettaton…oh…i didn’t mean to talk for so long…oh……………………”

“NO, WAIT! WAIT, BL—” Mettaton stopped as the dial tone became louder than him. “Th—They already hung up...”

“You left them behind,” said Norman.

“I THOUGHT…” said Mettaton. “IT WAS THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE BODY I WANTED. THE LIFE I WANTED.”

“And what did you do to the person who got you that life!” Norman said. “You’ve left Alphys behind, too!”

“I DIDN’T MEAN—” Mettaton stopped himself. “HERE, JUST HAND ME MY LEG SO I CAN SLAP MYSELF.”

More and more messages poured from the viewer call in.

“Mettaton, I don’t know what I’ll watch without you!”

“Mettaton, your show made us so happy!”

“Mettaton, there’s a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart!”

With every new caller, Mettaton’s eyes fell just a little more.

“What would happen if you took my Soul and crossed the Barrier?” Norman asked. “Would you leave them behind too?”

The fight was over. Norman’s Soul retreated back into his body. There wasn’t any point to sticking around. Norman walked past him and went towards the door.

“WAIT, DARLING…” Mettaton spoke up.

Norman stopped, but did not turn back.

“THIS BODY’S ENERGY FORM IS…INSUFFICIENT. IN A FEW MOMENTS, I’LL RUN OUT OF POWER AND…WELL, I’LL BE OKAY. BUT…WOULD IT BE TOO MUCH TROUBLE TO ASK YOU TO TAKE ME TO THE TRANQUIL AREA OF THE WATERFALL? THERE’S…A FEW PEOPLE I NEED TO MAKE UP TO.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More good ghost cousin content 20XX


	15. Chapter 5

It’s not long now.

King Asgore will let us go.

King Asgore will give us hope.

King Asgore will save us all.

You should be smiling, too. Aren’t you excited? Aren’t you happy?

You’re going to be free.

* * *

The monsters did not follow him into the next room. There were quite a few of them now; Monsters of all shapes and sorts that joined Norman as he entered New Home. In a way, he needed the company.

“Are you not coming?” Norman asked.

One Whimsalot spoke up. “There is nothing we can do now. It is up to you.”

They turned. Some gave him a few more bits of gold, as if he needed it now. A Vulkin tried to encourage him until she was swept away by a Tsunderplane. Norman was alone.

“It’s alright to be afraid,” his grandmother had said once. “Just so long as you don’t let it change who you are.”

He wished he remembered when she had said that. It felt so recent but so far away. Everything back home felt so far away.

Norman took the next step into the corridor. He could already see why the other monsters were hesitant. The last hall was as bright as the sun, stark against the usual dark of the Underground. Spotless golden brickwork and intricate stained-glass windows catching and reflecting artificial light to make it shine like a sunset. The air was deathly still, yet it did not feel intimidating. The sounds of church-bells echoed outside.

And all of a sudden, Norman was not alone.

“I’ve got a question for you. Do you think…even the worst person can change…? That anybody can be a good person, if they really try?”

It took Norman a minute to process a question had even been asked. And he wanted to say yes. It was a near automatic response.

Then he thought about it. Nobody on the Surface had changed for him. The kids would still bully him. The adults would still talk about him in hushed tones. He may end up like Mr. Prenderghast, living in a dump friendless and alone. Would they change? What would make them want to?

Napstablook had been a good person. Shy and lonely, but good. He attacked because he was scared, but he still gave Norman a cool hat and shared his music with him.

Mettaton, perhaps, was a good person under all that. He certainly seemed like he wanted to try.

Papyrus had always been a good person. One on the wrong side of the battle, but one who would probably be mortified if he found that out. Undyne had been a good person. She had to change a bit, realize the human was not as dangerous as she believed. Even Alphys looked like she wanted to change.

If they could change, anybody could.

With a shaky voice, Norman said “Yes.”

The figure in front of him seemed to contemplate his answer. They tilted their head back in thought, allowing a skeletal smile to show.

“I’m glad you think that way. Because now it is time for you to decide. Whether the monsters go free, or whether you return home. Our fate, is in your hands.”

sans pat him on the shoulder as he walked past.

“don’t worry kid. whatever you decide, it’ll be right. and if it’s not, well…it won’t be your fault.”

sans was almost out the door when Norman found his voice again.

“What do you think?”

sans froze.

“i used to know,” said sans. “now, i’m not too sure.”

sans was gone. He did not walk out the door, or turn back and leave the other way. As quickly as Norman blinked, he was gone.

Norman took a deep breath, shook off the lingering questions and fears, and walked away.

The throne room was thick with garden. Golden flowers and leaves filled so much of the room that the throne looked like an afterthought. Norman’s eyes fell onto its sole occupant.

“Dum dee dum…oh? Is someone there? Just a moment. I have almost finished watering these flowers…here we are!”

The King of All Monsters turned to Norman.

“Now, how can I—”

King Asgore stopped as he saw Norman. He flinched, ever so slightly, as if Norman had struck him. He turned away from him, eyes looking down on the flowers.

“I so badly want to say, ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’” said King Asgore. “But…you know how it is. You know what we must do.”

Norman nodded, because he was not quite sure what else to do. He followed the Boss Monster past the throne room and into the dark corridors behind.

“How tense,” said the King. “Think of it like…a trip to the dentist.”

The corridors weren’t as dark anymore. Sunlight, real sunlight, trickled in from above.

“Are you ready?” asked the King. “If you are not…I understand. I am not either.”

“What other choice do I have?” Norman asked.

The King let out a noise. It was too breathy to be a laugh, but too quick to be a sigh. It sounded bitter.

“Then, if you are ready…”

Asgore turned back to Norman. The canisters of Souls raised behind him. He lowered his head and raised his trident.

“Human…it was nice to meet you. Goodbye.”

The fight lasted a long time, longer than Norman would have thought. Just because he was determined to get home did not mean he was not facing the King of All Monsters. It took him a while to figure out just how much the king was holding back on him, waiting until any attack would become a fatal blow.

When Asgore fell to his knees, Norman felt a wave of emotions crash in him. They settled into guilt when the goat monster looked back at him, eyes tired and pained but accepting.

It turned into panic when a wave of bullets surrounded him, collided with his Soul and turned him to dust.

“You really are an idiot, aren’t you?” Flowey’s voice was unmistakable, even if it had been so long since he heard it. “In this world, it’s kill or be killed.”

Everything went black.

The space did not feel real, nor did Norman feel real in it. It felt more like a dream. His mind went back to the incident in the dump. Another vision, perhaps?

All of a sudden, Norman was not alone.

They could not have been older than five they were so small. The threadbare sweater, the ripped shorts and the dirt-caked skin made them seem a lot smaller.

Their eyes widened when they saw Norman. They waved. Their hand flexed in a variety of patterns Norman recognized as sign-language, but could not decipher.

And everything went black.

*RESET


	16. Chapter 1

“so I’m a sentry in snowdin forest, right? I sit out there and I watch for humans. it’s kind of boring. fortunately, in the forest, there’s this HUGE locked door. and it’s perfect for practicing knock-knock jokes. so one day, I’m knocking ‘em out, like usual. I knock on the door and say ‘knock knock’. and suddenly, from the other side…I hear a woman’s voice.

“‘who is there?’ so, naturally, I respond. ‘dishes.’ ‘dishes who?’ ‘dishes is a very bad joke.’ Then she just howls with laughter. like it’s the best joke she’s heard in a hundred years. so I keep ‘em coming, and she keeps laughing. she’s the best audience I’ve ever had. then, after a dozen of ‘em, SHE knocks and says ‘Knock knock!’ I say, ‘whos there?’ ‘old lady!’ ‘old lady who?’ ‘Oh! I did not know you could yodel!’

“wow. needless to say, this woman was extremely good. we kept telling each other jokes for hours. eventually, I had to leave. Papyrus gets kind of cranky without his bedtime story. but she told me to come by again, and so I did. then I did again. it’s kind of a thing now.”

The human is still listening, eyes wide and mouth full of burg. Its LV is at 5, meaning it’s still definitely a murderer. But it’s hard to remember that after seeing it pass through the puzzles his bro set up with a smile on its face, watching it engage with them. Watching it Spare.

“one day, though, I notice she wasn’t laughing as much. I asked her what was up. then she told me something strange. ‘if a human ever comes through this door…could you please, please promise me something? watch over them, and protect them, will you not?’ now, I hate making promises. and this woman, I don’t even know her name. but, someone who sincerely loves bad jokes…has an integrity you can’t say no to.”

He doesn’t know what he’s thinking. He can’t shake the boat in a meaningful way; everything is on a schedule, and nothing he does changes. But he has to know.

“do you get what I’m saying? That promise I made to her…do you know what would have happened if she hadn’t said anything? buddy…

You’d be dead where you stand.”

He didn’t mean to speak so forcefully; slip out of his font and use the tone he uses when he Judges. But the effect is immediate. The human’s eyes widen in fear and it runs still.

In a way, that’s all the answer he needs.

But then it starts crying. The other occupants of Grillby’s start to look at them, and he squirms under the attention. It raises its hands and starts to move them. It’s crude Hands, not helped by how much it’s trembling. He manages to get most of it.

_Didn’t mean—accident—thought she would stop—didn’t know—not me—not myself--_

How old was this kid anyway? It’s shorter than he is, and that’s saying something. Their hands shake too much and there are bruises on their legs and under their sweater. Old enough to kill? You don’t commit genocide on accident, but if they were half as upset about it then as they were now…

What did they mean by _not myself?_

_I’ll fix,_ they sign. _I’ll go back and save her. I promise._

*RESET

He sees it that time. The world stops. He watches it move backwards, like someone were rewinding a tape.

sans wakes up in his bed, like he always does. Usually, it takes him a long time to gather up the energy to restart the timeline again. He’ll lie in bed until Papyrus wakes him up and demands he go to work, and sometimes after that. This time, however, he jumps out of bed and makes some corrections to his notebook.

~~don’t~~ trust them

Four are the Stars

An Undertale/Gravity Falls crossover

By the Poor Sap Advocate

Chapter 1

“How’d you think we ended up down here?” Dipper asked as he looked around.

“We fell, of course,” said Mabel, who was in the middle of making herself a daisy chain out of the more squished golden flowers. She gestured upwards, where just the faintest glint of blue skies and sunlight could be seen.

“Do you remember falling down somewhere?”

“Nope!”

“I don’t remember Gravity Falls having any mountains big enough for…this,” said Dipper.

He tried thinking back to what happened. He remembered Mabel was planning a party for the reopening of the Mystery Shack, they were hanging out in the gift shop…flashes of red and blue…then nothing.

“And how are these flowers growing, anyway? There’s like no sunlight down here!”

Mabel looked back down at her daisy chain in confusion.

“Do you still have your grappling hook?” Dipper asked. “Maybe we can—”

Mabel was in the air before he could even finish that sentence. She loved using the grappling hook, especially when she had a legitimate reason to use it.

Mabel scaled upward towards the highest ridge of the cliff. She grabbed onto the ridge with one hand, then jumped as she tried to grab the ledge above. Her hand stop on the sky. There was a loud booming noise, as though someone has struck a gong. The sky began to ripple like waves in a lake.

Mabel tumbled back down onto the golden flowers.

“MABEL!”

“What was that?” Mabel said as she sat back up, as though nothing had happened. “It feels like I just ran into a wall.”

Dipper’s mind started racing. There was something at the top of the mountain, something not normal. More Gravity Falls weirdness to investigate.

He took another look at Mabel and the distance she fell, and decided he would investigate it once they were looking down at it again.

“There’s a cave this way,” said Dipper. “We can probably hike our way down from here and see if there’s another entrance that’s not blocked by paranormal entities.”

Mabel pulled herself off the ground and dusted herself off. “You lead the way, bro!”

She had a new sweater on, a blue and violet striped design with a red heart in the middle. And for some reason, it felt very familiar to Dipper.

* * *

Frisk found themselves in the woods once again.

It was not the Unknown again, they put together quickly. It felt too…different. In fact, if it weren’t for the heat and the sun above, they could have thought they had made it back to the forests in Snowdin. It felt like magic was in the air.

Another thing different from the Unknown was how quickly they were able to find humans. And how many there were in one place. The sounds of crowds and traffic were audible within seconds, and they wandered towards its source.

It was hard to describe what they found. It was less of a house and more of a hovel.

“Alright, step right this way! The first tour of the new and improved Mystery Shack!”

The Cat wouldn’t be able to find them for a while, based on past experiences. They could kill time, at least. Frisk wandered into the group and hid behind legs.

They were actually surprised that they were found so quickly. The Mystery Man leaned close to them, one eye inspecting them closely.

“Don’t think I didn’t see ya sneak in, kid,” he said. “Your parents in this group?”

They shook their head and shrugged.

“You gonna pay your way in yourself?”

They had to dig through their pockets a bit, but they managed to find a gold coin from the Underground and handed it to him. What shock he had that a child was carrying gold wore off on him quickly. He inspected it carefully, even going so far as to biting on it, before deciding he was satisfied and turned back to them.

“I don’t see too many kids with solid gold on them,” said the Mystery Man.

Frisk responded by giving him another gold coin.

“Good answer! Right this way, kid!”

* * *

Dipper took a step, and fell through the floor.

This was about the fourth time he had done that, and frankly it stopped being funny after the second. Mabel propped herself up on the pedestal and waited for him to come back.

“Hey, Froggit, you’re looking good today!” She called.

The Froggit in question gave an embarrassed burble, dropped a few gold coins, and hopped on its way.

“Why do they have so many puzzles leading up to their house?” Dipper asked as he emerged from the vent system.

“Maybe it’s a monster thing,” said Mabel. “Did the journal have anything about a kingdom of monsters?”

“Not that I remember,” said Dipper. “I just wish Grunkle Stan had given the journal back before all this happened.”

He took another step, and fell through.

Mabel took a bite out of the spider doughnut.

“Ew…crunchy…”

Dipper tumbled back upstairs.

“No journal’s gonna make you good at puzzles, bro,” said Mabel.

“The answer’s down there,” said Dipper. “I just can’t remember it all the way. Here’s another question: why would monsters have puzzles that are so easy to solve?”

“Maybe they’re just waiting for a stupid enough human to solve them,”

“They wouldn’t be waiting for human down here.”

“Toriel was.”

“And you trust her?”

“What?” Mabel asked. “She’s a delightful goat mother, how suspicious can you be of her?”

“I’m just saying,” said Dipper. “We’re stuck in the land of monsters, you were literally bounced off a shield preventing us from escaping, I almost got killed by a flower, and there’s this nice old goat woman who wants us to be her children.”

“You’re just being over-suspicious. She’s perfectly fine!”

* * *

“There is something I must do,” said Toriel. “Please stay here.”

She put her book down and made a beeline for the staircase. Dipper’s blood ran cold.

“…perfectly fine….” Said Mabel.

“We’re going,” said Dipper, already running to catch up with Toriel.

“That was a pretty cool snail fact though!”

* * *

It was hard to describe the Mystery Shack. If Frisk had to, they would say it was not worth the 2G. The decorations were fake; some insulting so, and some just insulting. The real mystery of the mystery shack was how readily everyone bought it.

They exited through the gift shop, bought a map of the area with what gold they had left, and returned to the woods.

They had hiked through the forest long enough that they were decently hidden when it started to get dark. The Mystery Man may have taken their gold, but it was unlikely that anyone else would.

There was still no sign of the Cat.

Once they found a clearing far enough away that they wouldn’t be spotted, they curled in on themselves and fell asleep.

They were only asleep for about an hour when they woke up to the sounds of the Cat’s low growl.

He stood in front of them, ready to pounce. His eyes were focused on the bush in front of him, so much so that Frisk wondered if he could even see them. When they shifted and waved at him, he jumped into the bushes.

A very human-sounding voice screamed out.

It took Frisk a few tries of trying to grab him and pulling his tail to get the Cat to withdraw from the bush. Something was in its mouth. No...someone. They were humanoid, barely the length of Frisk’s arm. Most of their hair was tucked under a red cone of a hat.

It was some kind of monster, Frisk realized. A gnome, if they had to guess.

Frisk looked to the Cat disapprovingly. The Cat rolled its eyes, but put the gnome down.

The gnome didn’t respond. It ran past before Frisk could ask it any more questions.

The Cat said something, complaining about the gnomes trying to capture him and ride him into battle, but Frisk was only half paying attention. There was magic in these woods.


	17. Chapter 2

The hallway outside of the Ruins was a lot longer than either of them had expected. It was too dimly lit for either of them to see quite clearly, and the damp chill of caverns only grew as they walked. There was only one clear beacon of light as another chasm opened above them.

In the beacon of light, there sat a flower.

“I bet you think you’re real clever, don’t cha?” said Flowey. “Saving your goat mom like that?”

Both of them were still rattled from the fight, so the most Dipper could really do was stomp on Flowey. It burrowed back underground before his foot hit the ground.

“Tell me,” said Flowey as it popped up behind them. “What do you think you would have done if you hadn’t saved her? What will happen if you meet someone you can’t spare?”

“We’re not here to fight anyone!” said Dipper.

“Oh? So why are you here, then?”

Mabel sent Dipper a concerned looked. The two fell silent. That was all that Flowey wanted to hear.

“ _You don’t know_ ,” said Flowey in realization. “Don’t worry, my little monarchs. You’re not the ones I’m looking for. And maybe once you stop that goody two-shoes act, we can agree on something.”

Flowey burrowed back underground, leaving them alone.

“What was that about?” Mabel asked.

“I’m not sure…” said Dipper. “Mabel, what were we doing when we came down here?”

Mabel hummed as she thought.

“The last thing I remember was being at the Shack,” she said.

“Same with me,” said Dipper. “Do you think maybe something paranormal brought us here?”

“I mean, we are in a world of magic and monsters,” said Mabel. “Nothing’s out of the question.”

“Then we better get to work,” said Dipper.

Chapter 2

They didn’t talk much after they were reunited. It was too late to make any real plans, too dark to look at the map Frisk had gotten, and they were too tired to think clearly.

It was early when they started to talk again. The sun had barely risen above the mountains that surrounded them, but it was light enough that Frisk could read the map.

None of the mountains surrounding them were Mt. Ebott.

“These are not normal woodlands,” said the Cat. “Perhaps you can try finding another monster here?”

Frisk nodded.

“I suggest we try to avoid gnomes.”

* * *

He leapt out of his skin when he saw the white bone. A skull sat in the hoodie. Attached to the rest of it was a skeleton. Two pinpricks of light hovered in the eye sockets, as close to pupils as it could get.

“alright. go ahead and take your choice. don’t got enough g on me to keep restocking.”

The skeleton monster gave a vague gesture to a set of lamps sitting by the checkpoint station, and what fear Dipper had faded into confusion.

“Why do you just have human shaped lamps?” Dipper asked.

“ya better make it quick,” the skeleton said. “my bro’s gonna be here in a few minutes and he’s a human hunting fanatic.”

Dipper’s eyes widened as he put together what he meant, and dove behind one of the lamps that had a shade of a long cone. Mabel fell right behind him, and hid behind her own lamp.

“SANS!”

“sup bro?”

Mabel poked her head out from the lampshade. “Oh, he’s cute!”

Dipper looked up just long enough to see the other addresser.

“He’s a skeleton,” said Dipper.

“You say that like it’ll stop me,” said Mabel.

“SANS? ARE THOSE HUMANS?”

The twins froze. Slowly, they both poked their heads out from the lampshade.

“sure, bro,” said the shorter skeleton. His skeletal smile was as thick as ever (and Dipper noted in the back of his mind that it didn’t move when he spoke), but there was a hint of frustration in his tone that Dipper could not quite place why.

“GOOD JOB!! I GUESS THERE IS MERIT TO STARING AT THESE LAMPS ALL DAY!!!” The taller skeleton turned to the twins. “ATTENTION HUMANS! !!YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! !! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL CAPTURE YOU!!! PROCEED…ONLY IF YOU DARE!!!”

He ran off, his laugh growing more and more distant.

“sorry bout that,” said the shorter skeleton. “name’s sans, by the way.”

He offered Dipper a hand up. Dipper noted the pink whoopee cushion hidden under his phalanges and decided to pull himself back up.

“Human hunting?” Dipper asked. “So you’re trying to hunt us down?”

“nah. he won’t hurt a fly,” said sans. “he’ll just fight you and give you awful puzzles to solve. i’ll keep an eyesocket out for you kids.”

sans walked off into the other direction as his brother. Dipper waited until he could not see him anymore to talk.

“Who just has a dozen people-shaped lamps waiting out in the middle of the forest?” He asked.

“The same kind of person who keeps hot dogs under his stand,” said Mabel as she rose. “And the kind of person I wanna be friends with. Want one?”

Dipper took one without thinking. His mind was racing. Sans was not all that surprised to see the two humans in the world of monsters. He had gone through the trouble of special ordering several human-shaped lamps and dragging them out into the snow and forest. He had been expecting them.

“sans definitely knows something,” said Dipper as he took a bite of his hot dog. “Let’s try and figure out what.”

“Sounds like a plan, plan-man!”

It was then that Dipper realized whatever he put into his mouth was not hot dog meat.

* * *

They find the boyband first. Frisk vaguely recalled seeing them on TV at one point, so it’s a bit of a surprise to find them in a magical forest. They thought about asking them whether or not they knew anything about the Kingdom of Monsters, but decide against it after they have to talk one of them out of eating a pinecone.

The boyband was not the only humans they found in the forest. They stumbled upon a campsite, where the only difference between its two occupants is the numbers on their hats. They did not know where Mt. Ebott was, but they were kind enough to show them where the other magical places in the forest are and offered their campsite if they couldn’t find a place for the night.

They find the gnomes again. They weren’t helpful.

It was late in the afternoon when something interesting happened. They only ventured in to town for a few moments, for Frisk to buy some food with what money they had left. It was only a packet of jerky from a vending machine, but it was enough until they can figure something else out. They wandered off to one of the prettier spots in the woods, settled down on a log, opened the packet…

The forest rumbled. Birds flew and gnomes ran away. Soundwaves shook the trees and cause ripples in the stream. The earth shook as something raced closer.

The Manutaur approaches.

Frisk ACTS without thinking, and held the jerky packed out in front of them. The fight stopped instantly.

“Not going to fight back, tiny human?” The manutaur asked as he poured jerky down his throat.

Frisk shook their head and shrugged.

“I believe they would like to talk to you instead,” said the Cat. “They are looking for a way into a kingdom of monsters. It should be hidden in the mountains.”

The manutaur hummed in thought. “Climb onto my backhairs. I’ll take you to meet with High Council.”

“I think I’ll pass,” said the Cat.

Frisk climbed aboard, and let the cat jumped onto their shoulders. The Manutaur sped off.

* * *

“HE’S…WELL…HE’S A BIG FUZZY PUSHOVER!” said Papyrus. “EVERYBODY LOVES THAT GUY! I AM CERTAIN IF YOU JUST SAY…’EXCUSE ME, MR. DREEMURR, CAN I PLEASE GO HOME?’ HE’LL GUIDE YOU RIGHT TO THE BARRIER HIMSELF! ANYWAY!!! THAT’S ENOUGH TALKING!!! I’LL BE AT HOME BEING A COOL FRIEND!!! LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU WANT TO GO ON THAT DATE!!!”

Papyrus ran through them back to his house, a movement that was at best a mix of running, skipping, and floating. His laughter faded off in the distance.

Dipper hardly noticed. His mind was abuzz with the new information, trying to put together what Papyrus had said to the theories he had already crafted into his head.

He hardly even noticed the last thing Papyrus had said, until he looked over at Mabel and saw the look in her eyes.

“You want to go on a date with him right away?” Dipper asked.

“Why not?” said Mabel. “He said we can visit whenever we want for that date!”

“ _Your_ date,” Dipper said.

“And what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know! I think there was a restaurant in town…”

“I bet if you go with me you’d be able to talk to sans about whatever nerdy stuff you wanna talk about,” said Mabel.

Dipper opened his mouth to argue, but close it just as quickly. That was actually a good idea.

“Just promise me you won’t call my thing a date,” said Dipper.

“Can’t! Let’s go!”

* * *

It was a long and hard-fought training montage that lasted the whole day. But eventually, Frisk was accepted by the Mautaurs. They gave them bits of leather armor that did not really fit them, a spear made of bone and stone that reminded them of Papyrus and Undyne, and some neat temporary tattoos. They were sent on their way to conquer the Multibear.

“And we shall go with you to make sure you don’t botch this like Destructor did,” said Pituitor.

But Frisk knew they weren’t going to Fight the Multibear, much less conquer it. Hopefully the other Manutaurs would be cool with that.

The Multibear lived on the other side of the mountain range. Frisk scaled it the way the Mautaurs had taught them. They entered the cave. The Manutaurs were right behind them.

The sounds of roars alerted Frisk to the location of the Multibear before their eyes could fully adjust to the darkness. The Multibear emerged from the shadows.

“Bear heads! Quiet!” The biggest head of the Multibear snapped. “So, the Manutaurs have seen fit to send to me another human.”

“Yeah, because you SUCK!” Gronk shouted from outside.

The bear head growled again, but stopped as it was slapped.

Frisk nodded enthusiastically. They put their spear down to sign.

“I am afraid I do not speak the language of Hands,” said the Multibear.

“Then allow me to translate,” said the Cat as he emerged from a stalagmite. “They want to ask you for directions.”

There was a loud groan from the Manutaurs outside. The Cat ignored it.

“They wish to find the Kingdom of Monsters,” said the Cat.

“You would provoke the ire of the Manutaurs just to find it?” asked the Multibear.

Frisk nodded.

“Then you must be very lost,” said the Multibear. “Very well. I will tell you what I know.”

* * *

Papyrus’ house was a unique mixture of old, clashing furniture, and surfaces so clean it was hard to believe that they had ever held dust. In a lot of ways, it reminded Dipper of the Mystery Shack. He took a seat on the couch and started to flip through a book on quantum physics.

“Wow! How’d you get your sink so high?”

Shoved in between the pages was a joke book, just a little smaller than the textbook. Curious, Dipper took that out.

“DO YOU LIKE IT?! I MADE IT TALLER SO I CAN STORE MORE BONES UNDERNEATH. TAKE A LOOK!!!”

The joke book had been hollowed out to hold another book on quantum physics. Dipper took it out and opened it up.

“WHAT?!?! CATCH THAT MEDDLING CANINE!”

Dipper looked up long enough from the books to watch the small Pomeranian from before rush through the kitchen and out the door.

“CURSES!”

The sound of a sad trombone filled the house.

“SANS!! STOP PLAUGING MY LIFE WITH INCIDENTAL MUSIC AND COME HELP ME ENTERTAIN THESE HUMANS!”

“oh, what?” sans’ voice echoed from the top of the stairs.

“YES! THE TALLER HUMAN AND I WERE PLANNING ON GOING TO MY ROOM AND DOING…WHATEVER IT IS PEOPLE DO WHEN THEY GO ON DATES! COULD YOU PERHAPS ENTERTAIN THE SHORTER ONE???”

“I’m shorter than Mabel by, like, an inch!” said Dipper.

There was a lingering pause upstairs, as sans thought about what had been asked.

“sure thing bro,”

There was the sound of a closing door upstairs, and the front door swung open.

“sorry bro,” said sans. “just wanted to make sure i got my date clothes on.”

The only thing Dipper noticed that was different were his socks, now matching.

“GREAT!! COME ALONG THEN, HUMAN!!! HAVE FUN ON YOUR DATE, SANS!!!”

Mabel wriggled her eyebrows at Dipper as she rushed upstairs with Papyrus. Dipper tried his best to ignore her.

*DATING START!

“So, uh…” Dipper started. He made a vague gesture to the books on his lap.

“oh yeah,” said sans. “paps got that one for me. i made a few of my own modifications, of course, but i don’t think he’s gotten the joke yet.”

Silence fell between the two as Dipper tried to think of what to say next.

“DON’T THINK YOU’VE BESTED ME YET!!!” Papyrus’ voice rang from upstairs. “I’VE NEVER BEEN BEATING AT DATING AND I NEVER WILL!!”

“Hey, sans,” said Dipper. “Do you know anything about a talking flower?”

The atmosphere grew heavy. sans’ grin tightened, and for a second Dipper felt a shiver up his spine.

“the echo flowers in waterfall, right?” sans asked. “didn’t think you had made it that far.”

“We haven’t,” said Dipper. “I mean a small golden flower that talks back at you, not just an echo.”

“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND THE HIDDEN POWER OF THIS OUTFIT!”

sans was silent for a moment. He shifted in his seat so he could look Dipper in the eyes. His smile had grown bigger, but Dipper was not entirely sure that was a good thing.

“I have a question for you kid…how did you end up in the Underground?”

“I don’t know. Mabel and I just kind of ended up here,” said Dipper. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. And I think that flower might have something to do with it.”

“RIGHT! BUT OH SO WRONG! THIS AIN’T ANY PLAIN OL’ PASTA!! THIS IS AN ARTISAN’S WORK!!! SILKEN SPAGHETTI FINLEY AGED IN AN OAKEN CAST, THEN COOKED BY ME, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS!!!”

“And I think you might know something about it,” Dipper finished.

The lights in sans’s eyesockets went out. Dipper fought the urge to jump back and run. Phalanges tapped on the sofa, forming a melodic pattern.

“What makes you think that, bucko?”

Dipper swallowed in a vain attempt to stop his voice from cracking before he spoke.

“Who orders a set of human-shaped lamps and leaves them out in the forest?”

“AUGH!!! URGH!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

“Should we do something about that?” Dipper asked.

“nah, they’re probably fine.” said sans. “but you know…you may be on to something kiddo. tell you what; you find out more about that flower, i’ll tell you more about the other humans. deal?”

“Fine.” said Dipper.

“great. i’ll keep an eyesocket out for you, kid.”

sans stood from the couch and walked out the front door again. Dipper did not have a chance to question it before Mabel came downstairs.

“How’d it go?” he asked.

“I dunno,” said Mabel as she plopped onto the couch. “I mean he dumped me, but that was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Dipper decided it was not worth it to point out that all of her other dates were with a group of gnomes, a merman, a psychic brat currently in jail, and the guy on the $10 bill.

“How’d talking to sans go?” Mabel asked.

“I might be onto something,” Dipper said. “There’s a lot more going on in the Underground that we don’t know about.”


	18. Chapter 3

“Behind you.”

Dipper tensed up at the Echo Flower’s message. The sound of metal footsteps grows closer.

“Don’t tell me she’s right behind us,” said Dipper.

“Okay,” said Mabel.

“Seven,” said Undyne. “Seven human souls. With the power of seven human souls, our king, King Asgore Dreemurr, will become a god. With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the Barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity, and give them back the suffering and pain we have endured. I suppose…he will have a use for two. But first, however, as is customary for those who have travelled this far, I will tell you the story of our people. It all started long ago…

“You know what? SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY?? WHEN YOU’RE ABOUT TO DIE?? NGHAAAAHH!!!!!”

In a fluid motion, Undyne ripped off her helmet. One eye glinted in the low lights of the Waterfall.

“You two!” said Undyne. “You’re standing in the way of everybody’s hopes and dreams! Alphys’s history books made me think humans were cool…with their giant robots and flowery swordswomen. But you? You’re just cowards. Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom! Right now, I feel everyone’s hearts pounding together! Everyone’s been waiting their whole lives for this moment! When everyone puts their hearts together, they can’t lose! I’ll show you how determined monsters can be!”

Undyne summoned her spear. Dipper’s Soul leaped out of his chest, and turned a bright green color.

“Wait, what does the green do?” Dipper asked.

“Unless you learn to face danger head-on, you won’t last a second against me!!” said Undyne.

Undyne attacks.

A set of bullets in the shape of arrows fly past Dipper. A few break apart as they collide with Dipper’s Soul, bouncing off some sort of shield. Most don’t.

“When I said face danger head-on, I MEANT DODGE THE BULLETS!!!”

* * *

“The Kingdom of Monsters resides in these mountains, within the caverns of Mount Ebott,” said one of the heads of the Multibear. “There is a path in this cavern that connects this cavern from this one, but know this: there is no way to exit once you enter.”

With everything else that had been going on, Frisk had nearly forgotten about the Barrier. It was just going to be something else that they did, they decided.

“We will find a way around that,” said the Cat.

“You are determined, then,” said the Multibear. “It will serve you well. We creatures of the forest have long forgotten about Mt. Ebott. The Barrier has shielded us from our brethren for centuries. It would be relieving to be reunited, don’t you agree?”

Frisk nodded again. The Cat squirmed, but they could not tell why.

“I can take you as far as the Barrier, but no farther,” said the Multibear. “And I suggest you prepare in advance.”

“It is quite late,” said the Cat. “If nothing else, _I_ would like the chance to rest.”

“Then I await your return,” said the Multibear.

She disappeared into the shadows again. After a few moments, Frisk heard the sound of an Icelandic pop song in the distance.

They hardly paid attention to the Manutaur’s chorus of boos as they left the cavern. The Cat climbed up onto their shoulders.

“We should head back into town,” said the Cat. “We both need food and rest, and it would not hurt for you to find something you can defend yourself with.”

Frisk nodded. To be honest, the humans scared them more than the Multibear.

* * *

“HEY! WHAT’S UP?! I WAS JUST THINKING…YOU, ME, THE OTHER HUMAN, AND UNDYNE SHOULD ALL HANG OUT SOMETIME!! I THINK YOU WOULD MAKE GREAT PALS!!!

“Papyrus this is not a good time for that!” Mabel shouted into the phone as she dodged arrow bullets flying towards it.

“COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE PUNKS!!” Undyne shouted. She was right behind them.

“OKAY! LET’S MEET UP AT HER HOUSE LATER!”

The Waterfall area ended, as suddenly as if Mabel had stepped into another room. The new area was hot and dry, and the dark cave walls became a heavy shade of red. Mabel looked just below her the cliff sides and saw pools of magma.

Undyne was still behind her.

Mabel looked back up and fought the sudden urge or vertigo. She ducked around the corner, and came face to face with a familiar skeleton.

“SANS!” Mabel cried. “sans, help us out!”

sans did not stir from his sleep.

“Come on!” Dipper shouted as he caught up with her.

Undyne was right behind them.

Mabel ran, and the sounds of metal footsteps became more distant. The sounds of Undyne screaming at sans replaced it. There was a sound of a rimshot from…somewhere, and then the metal footsteps increased.

Undyne was right behind them.

Mabel and Dipper spun around and faced her. Mabel looked at Dipper for any indication he had a plan. It was clear he did not.

Undyne took one step towards them. Then another. Then she fell over.

“Oh,” said Dipper. “Well that was anticlimactic.”

The smell of sushi wafted in the air, reminding Mabel of Mermando. And then she realized.

“Wait, she’s a fish! She’s drying out in her armor!” Mabel turned to Dipper. “We have to help her! Do your reverse CPR!”

Dipper glared at her.

“I’M SERIOUS THIS TIME!”

“Okay, fine, I’ll…” Dipper trailed off as he looked for his plan. He settled on a water cooler tucked into the corner. “Fine!”

The water cooler was naturally rather slow, but that was the only part of the plan that was. Dipper raced to and fro as he filled his cup and propped Undyne up in a position needed for CPR. He threw the water into his mouth, and sealed his lips with Undyne.

Once Undyne regained consciousness, she was not very happy about the situation. But she did not say anything. She did not attack them again. She took one long look at them, and left.

“That was awkward,” said Dipper. “Promise me you won’t hold _that_ against me.”

“Of course not!” said Mabel. “But what should I tell Papyrus when we go on our date with Undyne?”

Dipper froze.

“You did _not_.”

“It was Papyrus’s idea!”

* * *

There was a pie sitting out on the windowsill by the diner. Frisk vaguely recalled that was a good way to cool it. The only person she had ever seen bake was Toriel, but she never put her pies out because there was no wind that could have cooled it.

The thought of stealing made their stomach flip. They remembered the monster candy in the Ruins, and how they never stopped feeling bad about it until the bad runs. But the flipping in their stomach would be much worse if they didn’t steal.

The gnomes beat them to it.

“Hey, kid, this is our stash!” said one of the gnomes. Frisk vaguely recalled them as the one the Cat had chased.

The Cat hissed. Most of the gnomes stiffened, but did not otherwise move. The leader reached for another gnome by the beard, and held the sharp point of their hat out like a knife.

Frisk made a motion for the Cat to stand down. It was not worth a fight.

“Good,” said the gnome as he put the other gnome down. “And while we’re at it, can you…um…”

He made a few vague motions for Frisk to grab the pie. They obliged, and handed it down to them.

“Thanks kid!” He called as the gnomes scampered off.

“Really?” said the Cat. “We’re going to have to find our own food now.”

Frisk shrugged.

“Hey kid!”

The Mystery Man stood behind them. He shifted uncomfortably as Frisk looked at him, and avoided eye contact.

“You uh…wouldn’t happen to be looking for someplace to eat, are you?”

Frisk nodded.

The Mystery Man folded his arms over his chest. “Don’t suppose you would want to come with me then?”

Frisk nodded again, this time more enthusiastically.

“Fine. But you’re paying!”

Frisk stuck their tongue out playfully. It reminded them of sans, and of good times.

* * *

“OHO! THE HUMANS ARRIVE!” said Papyrus. “READY TO BECOME TOTALLY BEST FRIENDS WITH UNDYNE??!”

“Yeah, Papyrus, I don’t think—” Dipper started.

“You bet!” Mabel said.

“GREAT!!! WE ARE GOING TO BE THE BEST OF FRIENDS!!!”

“I don’t think she’s going to want to be friends with us,” said Dipper, to nobody but himself.

“Hey Papyrus,” said Undyne as the door opened. “Ready for your extra special one-on-one training?”

Undyne looked differently than when they had last seen her. She was out of her armor, and into a casual outfit of sweat pants and a tank top. Her scales were much more visible than before, as were the muscles they covered. Her hair was still tied back, but it was much looser than before. She did not look like the kind of person that would have chased two kids to their death.

“YOU BET I AM!!! AND I BROUGHT SOME FRIENDS!!”

“Hi, I don’t think we’ve—” Undyne stopped as she got a good look at her guests. She spoke through gritted teeth. “Why don’t. You come. Inside?”

Papyrus gave the twins a look, danced on the welcome mat as he tried to clean his boots, and walked inside. Mabel gave him a look and followed suit.

Undyne’s house was ordinary as well. In fact, it was rather cute for someone who was the head of the Royal Guard. Yet the air was thick with tension.

Papyrus did not seem to notice.

“OH, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?!?” Papyrus said “I HAVE TO UM…USE THE BATHROOM! I’LL BE RIGHT BACK!!!”

With that, Papyrus promptly flung himself out the window. It was a while until Dipper heard the landing thud outside.

“I hate it when he does that,” said Undyne. Her attention turned towards them. “So why are _you_ here?”

“We’re here to become friends!” said Mabel.

“Really?” Undyne asked. “How delightful!! I accept! Let’s all frolick in the fields of friendship! …NOT!”

The stars that was in Mabel’s eyes quickly extinguished.

“Why would I ever be friends with you?” said Undyne. “If you weren’t my houseguests, I’d beat you up right now! You’re the enemy of everyone’s hopes and dreams! I WILL NEVER BE YOUR FRIEND. Now get out of my house!”

Papyrus’ head poked back in to what was supposed to be the window.

“DANG. WHAT A SHAME. I THOUGHT YOU TWO COULD BE REALLY GOOD FRIENDS WITH UNDYNE. BUT I GUESS…I OVERESTIMATED HER. SHE’S JUST NOT UP TO THE CHALLENGE!!!”

He was gone as quickly as he arrived.

“CHALLENGE?” Undyne roared. “He thinks I can’t be friends with you? Fuhuhu!! What a joke! Listen up humans!! We’re not just going to become friends. We’re gonna be BESTIES. Now why don’t you two have a seat?”

* * *

The diner was small and cozy. It looked to be on the verge of closing, and only one waitress was still out.

“Hey Stan!” She greeted. “Care for a late night snack?”

“Hey Susan. Split me a quarter of the Number 7, and a side of ketchup for the kid,” said

“You got it!”

The waitress left, and they were alone.

“So, uh…” said Stan. “Your parents around here, anywhere?”

Frisk shook their head no.

“So, summer camp or somethin’?”

Frisk shook their head no again.

“You’re on your own then?”

Frisk shrugged.

Stan fell silent for a moment. He was still avoiding eye contact.

“Don’t talk much, do ya?”

Frisk shrugged again. They could feel the Cat’s tail flicking back and forth against their leg. He probably was not sure whether he should speak up or not.

“Well,” said Stan. “Do you at least have a safe place to stay for the night?”

Frisk was not sure. The clones had offered them a camping spot, and they did have the clearing where they spent the night before. But with the Manutaurs against them, it might not be the safest place to stay.

“Well, you know where the Shack is. You might have to compete for a bed with the goat…or with Soos…but it’s better than nothing, believe me,” said Stan. “We were supposed to be having a party tonight, but…guess that ain’t happenin’. It’d be nice to have _some_ kind of company.”

The waitress came back with the food. Stan started to stand from the table.

“Go ahead and put it on my tab, Suze,” said Stan. “I gotta get goin’. Make sure Soos closes down right, and see if the kids haven’t come back yet. You take care, kid.”

Stan walked out, and then it was just Frisk and the Cat.

The ketchup healed quite a bit. Frisk was actually rather surprised. They guessed that was why sans drank it all the time.

* * *

With Undyne on a mission to befriend them, it was surprisingly easy to talk to her. They talked about the Underground, whether or not Papyrus would ever join the Royal Guard and how Undyne met Asgore. They talked about Gravity Falls and the Surface, what kind of weaponry humans wielded and whether or not ice cream men are preludes to terror. 

(It took Dipper a while to realize that, despite everything, they have yet to have a problem with the ice cream man. This was probably a good thing.)

It was only when Undyne stood to get them more tea when the atmosphere turned tense again.

“Wait a second,” said Undyne. “Papyrus’ cooking lesson…he was supposed to have that right now!! And if he’s not here to have it...THEN YOU TWO WILL HAVE TO DO!”

Undyne jumped onto the kitchen counter. The containers of tea and hot chocolate collided to the ground.

“NOTHING has brought Papyrus and I closer than cooking!” said Undyne. “So if I give you the lesson, WE’LL BECOME CLOSER THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE!!!”

She jumped again, and landed on the broken kitchen table. She seized the twins up by their hair and bounded towards the stovetop.

“FIRST WE’LL MAKE THE SAUCE!” said Undyne.

Mabel and Dipper were dropped onto the stovetop. She stomped on the ground, and a set of vegetables fell from the ceiling and onto the counter.

“Envision these vegetables as your greatest enemy,” said Undyne. “Now!! Pound them to dust with your fist!!”

“I didn’t think cooking was such an involved sport,” said Dipper.

Mabel, however, couldn’t be more excited. She swung her fish down and squashed the solanum.

“THERE YOU GO! NGHAAAH!!!” said Undyne.

She swung her spear down. The vegetables exploded.

“We’ll just scrape that in a bowl later,” said Undyne. “Now, we add the noodles!”

She stomped again, and two pots fell perfectly onto the stovetop. With another passionate cry, she flung something towards the twins. Mable fumbled for a second before she caught it.

“Just go ahead and put them in the pot,” said Undyne.

“You got it, boss!”

Mabel ripped open the box and threw it in. It collided with the empty bottom.

“As a general rule of thumb, the more you stir the pasta, THE BETTER IT BECOMES!!” said Undyne. “Ready?”

“Don’t you need to add water?” Dipper asked.

“LET’S DO IT!”

Mabel stirred as fast as her arms would let her. Undyne summoned another spear and beat it until the pot was collapsing in on itself.

“Now for the final step: TURN UP THE HEAT!!” said Undyne. “Let the stovetop symbolize your passion! Let your hopes and dreams turn into a burning fire! Don’t hold anything back!!!”

Mabel turned the dial, and turned it, and turned it more. She only stopped when she noticed the pot catch on fire.

“Okay, maybe that’s--”

“HOTTER, DAMNIT!!” Undyne cried as she reached over the stovetop.

The flames rose.

* * *

There was no one at the Mystery Shack when Stan returned. So he did what he usually did on a late Thursday night. It was what he did most nights, and it was what he was planning on doing before the kids talked him into a party. It just so happened that tonight was a more involved process.

It won’t be long now.

The vat of radioactive waste collided with Stan’s toe.

“HOT BELGIAN WAFFLES!” He shouted. “Wait, if no one’s here, then I can swear for real! SON OF A—”

“Excuse me,” said the Cat.

The vat shook more as Stan jumped towards the source. The kid was curled up on the couch, and the Cat was perched on the armrest above them. Both of them looked as though they had been startled awake by his outburst.

He had seen the Cat talk before, when he had spotted the kid trying to steal Lazy Susan’s pie. At that point, however, he was doing his best to forget the gnomes that had followed them. The fact that the Cat had spoken was shocking, but it was just more Gravity Falls weirdness.

It won’t be long now.

“So, taking me up on my offer, huh?” said Stan.

The kid nodded, then pointed to the radioactive waste with a confused expression.

“Oh, just ignore that…” said Stan. “Feel free to make yourself at home. If I catch you makin’ off with the register in the mornin’ I’ll be very impressed but I’ll still hunt you down, got it?”

The kid gave a mock salute and chuckled, before they rolled back over. The Cat, however, continued to watch him as he ducked into the hidden entryway in the vending machine. He was not sure if it was trying to be menacing, but he felt his sins crawl along his back.

* * *

* * *

“Man,” said Undyne. “No wonder Papyrus sucks at cooking.”

Dipper was too busy trying to not catch on fire to notice.

“So what’s next?” Undyne asked. “Scrapbooking? Friendship bracelets?”

“Yeah!” said Mabel. “Let’s do it!”

“Oh who are we kidding? I’ve been defeated. My house is in shambles. And I failed to make you two my friends,” said Undyne. “I guess some people aren’t meant to get along. But that’s okay. Because if we can’t be friends…THEN I CAN DESTROY YOU WITHOUT REGRET!!!”

Undyne summoned her spear again.

“Wait, wait don’t!” said Dipper. “We still want to be your friends! Really!”

“AN ALL OUT REMATCH ON BOTH SIDES! IT’S THE ONLY WAY FOR ME TO REGAIN MY LOST PRIDE!!” said Undyne.

Mabel looked at Dipper, and the twins hatched a plan.

They lightly shoved Undyne into the counter.

“What?” said Undnye. “That’s the best you can manage?”

“We still want to be your friends,” said Mabel. “And friends generally don’t destroy other friends!”

Undyne looked lost for a minute. Eventually, she closed her eyes and sighed. Her spear faded before it could fall to the ground.

“I don’t want to hurt you, either,” said Undyne. “You two remind me of someone I used to train with.”


	19. Chapter 4

“OHHH YES! WELCOME BEAUTIES…TO TODAY’S QUIZ SHOW!”

Spotlights engulfed the lab. Two disco balls dropped from the lighting fixtures and engulfed the three into multicolored lights. Confetti fell from somewhere. Dipper knew that he was not going to like whatever happened next.

“OH BOY! I CAN ALREADY TELL IT’S GONNA BE A GREAT SHOW!” said the robot. “EVERYONE GIVE A BIG HAND TO OUR WONDERFUL CONTESTANTS!”

A fake, monotone clapping noise echoed from the robot’s soundboard as more confetti poured onto them.

“NEVER PLAYED BEFORE GORGEOUS? THE RULES ARE SIMPLE. ANSWER CORRECTLY.” said the robot. “OR YOU DIE!!!

Mettaton attacks.

“LET’S START WITH AN EASY ONE!!” said Mettaton. “WHAT’S THE PRIZE FOR ANSWERING CORRECTLY?”

“Uh…” said Dipper. “A new car?”

“THAT IS INCORRECT!!!”

A lightning-bolt shaped bullet shot from Mettaton’s microphone and collided with Dipper’s Soul.

“Are you okay?” Mabel asked.

“I’m fine,” said Dipper. “Not sure how many of those I can take. We’re gonna have to be smart about answering them.”

“Alright,” said Mabel. “Making things up is my specialty!”

“GLAD TO HEAR IT GORGEOUS!” said Mettaton. “HERE’S YOUR PRIZE: WHAT IS THE KING’S FULL NAME?”

Dipper actually remembered that one. Papyrus had said it, Undyne had said it, and the turtle that sold them things had said it even though he insisted on calling him “Ol’ King Fluffybuns”.

“Asgore Dreemurr!” said Dipper.

“CORRECT! WHAT A TERRIFIC ANSWER!”

“I was going to say Doctor Friendship…” said Mabel.

“NOW ENOUGH ABOUT YOU. LET’S TALK ABOUT ME! WHAT ARE ROBOTS MADE OF?”

“Metal and magic!” said Mabel.

That one had come pretty quickly, but Dipper figured that it was easy to guess.

“HERE’S AN EASY ONE FOR YOU: TWO TRAINS, TRAIN A AND TRAIN B, SIMULTANEOUSLY DEPART STATION A AND STATION B. STATION A AND STATION B ARE 252.5 MILES APART FROM ONE ANOTHER. TRAIN IS IS MOVING AT 124.7 MILESPERHOURTOWARDSSTATIONBAND TRAINBISMOVING-AT253.5MILESPERHOURTOWARSSTATIONAIFBOTHTRAINSDEPARTEDAT10:0AMANDITISNOW10:09HOWMUCHLONGERUNTILBOTHTRAINSPASSEACHOTHER?”

“32.058 minutes!” said Mabel.

Dipper had no idea how he could even solve that one, let alone Mabel.

“NEARLY RAN OUT THE CLOCK THERE, GORGEOUS! BUT THAT IS CORRECT!”

“You spent the entire time asking the question!” said Dipper.

“DO YOU WANT ME TO TAKE BACK YOUR CORRECT ANSWER?” Mettaton asked.

“We’re good!” Both the twins said.

“EXCELLENT! BECAUSE FROM HERE ON OUT THEY’RE ONLY GOING TO GET HARDER FROM HERE!” said Mettaton.”NEXT QUESTION: HOW MANY FLYS ARE IN THIS JAR?”

“54!” said Mabel.

“WHAT MONSTER IS THIS?”

“Mettaton!”

“BUT CAN YOU GET THIS ONE? WOULD YOU SMOOCH A GHOST?”

“Heck yeah!”

“WHAT A GOOD ANSWER! I LOVE IT!!!!” said Mettaton. “NEXT QUESTIONS: HOW MANY LETTERS ARE IN THE NAME METATTON NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN…”

“56!”

“That is correct!”

“How are you getting all of these?” Dipper asked.

“Alphys is telling me,” said Mabel. “But the smooch a ghost one was all me!”

Alphys froze.

“ALPHYS…” said Mettaton. “WERE YOU HELPING THE CONTESTANT?”

“U-u-uh, I was—” Alphys stammered.

“THAT’S ALRIGHT,” said Mettaton. “I’LL GIVE THEM AN ANSWER YOU’RE SURE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO! WHO DOES DOCTOR ALPHYS HAVE A CRUSH ON?”

The two twins froze.

“Could we… _not_ answer that one?” Dipper asked.

* * *

Entry no. 34

During our game of multi-dimensional chess, Bill mentioned something interesting. A Kingdom of Monsters. He seemed hesitant to discuss more; although it seemed more out of ignorance than ill-will. After some prying, he managed to bring up some key points. Sometime before Gravity Falls was inhabited, humans lived with monsters. A war broke out between the two races, leading to the monsters becoming imprisoned underneath a magic suppressing barrier. Bill mentioned that he had tried to enter the kingdom several times to look for someone to help him build the portal, but he kept being chased out by some “annoying dog”.

Whether or not he meant to, Bill has just made a phenomenal breakthrough with my research. Is this Kingdom of Monsters the source of all weirdness in Gravity Falls? Or even the world? Maybe there can be a direct link between the monsters in the forest and the monsters underground. Furthermore, if Bill really wanted to find a scientific mind in the kingdom of monsters, there could be someone else working on a portal right now. Someone else I could compare notes with!

I expect the portal will be finished soon. Perhaps once Bill can enter our dimension, I can welcome him to Earth properly with a little hike.

* * *

It was much later, after the quiz show and after a cooking show and after a news show, when sans made himself known and invited Dipper to dinner.

“where’s that sister of yours?” he asked.

“Well…”

* * *

“‘A tragic tale of two lovers, torn apart by the tides of fate’…” Mabel read off of the poster in front of her. “That sounds right up my alley!”

She ignored the fact that 75% of the poster was Mettaton’s face. It would be nice to see him actually acting, and not just the elaborate set pieces he set up when he wanted to kill them. She would have to make a mental note to come back and catch it once Mettaton had calmed down a bit.

Mabel was so lost in thought that she did not notice where she was walking next. She stopped as she noticed she was on stage.

“Oh,” said Mabel as realization dawned on her.

“OH? COULD IT BE…” Mettaton’s voice echoed through the stage. “MY ONE TRUE LOVE?”

Mettaton descended down the fake balcony with all the grace of a vacuum cleaner. The song’s opening covered most of it up. He dropped the hem of his bright blue ballgown and began to sing.

That was when Mabel knew that this was _really_ right up her alley.

* * *

“guess it doesn’t really matter,” said sans. “so, find out anything else about that flower?”

The atmosphere grew suddenly very heavy. Dipper swallowed before he spoke.

“We found it in the Ruins,” said Dipper. “It’s this little gold flower named Flowey—“

“really?” said sans. “couldn’t think of a better name?”

“I didn’t name it!” Dipper said. “It calls itself that!”

“alright. tell me more about flowey mc flower face.”

“Well, when we left the Ruins, he talked about a lot of weird things,” said Dipper. “Stuff like how he was the one that would inherit this world...and how we weren’t the ones he was looking for…sans, how many humans have been in the Underground before us?”

“haven’t you heard undyne, kid?” sans asked. “there’ve been six humans in the underground. not including you two.”

“And is that where you got the lamps?” Dipper asked.

sans fell silent.

“Look, if we’re going to work together, we need to be 100% honest with each other,” Dipper said. “I won’t…judge you if you did something bad. Just be honest with me.”

Sans did not say anything for a moment. Just when Dipper was about to speak up again, he chuckled lowly.

“don’t _judge_ anyone, you say? kid, that’s a good one and you don’t even know why yet,” said sans. “alright. there have been a total of 12 humans in the underground. i’ve seen six. just not at the same time.”

“So there’s a way out of the Underground then?” Dipper asked.

“sure there is. but that’s not what i’m talking about,” said sans.

“Well, what do you know about the other humans?”

“i’d say most weren’t older than you,” said sans. “all came from the ruins, all left through new home. all came at about the same time. don’t know what happened to them. don’t think they knew why they were here, either.”

“Well, do you think that flower might have something to do with it?” Dipper asked.

“don’t know. never seen ‘em before,” said sans after a minute. “well, if nothing else, this run’s been good for information. anything else you need to know?”

Dipper opened his mouth for a minute. But there was not anything else he could think to ask.

“great,” said sans. “if you get to the castle, i won’t stop you. but try and think about what you’re getting into, alright?”

It was only when sans got to the fichus in the corner that Dipper found what he wanted to ask next.

“What do you mean, ‘this time’? You keep talking about ‘this time’ and ‘these runs’, like you’ve already seen all this before!” said Dipper. “What are you trying to hide? I won’t be able to help you if you don’t tell me everything!”

“listen, kid,” said sans. “it’s not gonna matter. even if i do tell you everything, you’re just gonna disappear again. and there’ll be another kid waiting for me at my station. or maybe something worse. i’ve given up trying to change this.”

Dipper’s mouth hung open as he tried to think of what to say. Everything that sans said ran through his head. And then he realized.

“You’re a time traveler?”

The light in sans’ eyesockets went dark. He did not say anything.

“Why didn’t you just say that?” Dipper asked. “Maybe we can help you! Are you with the same agency as Blendin? Is there _actually_ a Time Baby?”

“well,” said sans. “you’re close. if there’s a time traveler, it’s not me.”

Dipper probably had more experience with time travel than the average person, but it was still limited. There was stuff in the journals and the science fiction books he read, but most of what he really remembered came from the 80’s movies Mabel watched. There was one he remembered quite well, about the crabby man who was stuck in the same day repeating over and over.

“Oh,” said Dipper, because he was not sure what else he could say.

“if that’s all you have to say, kid, then i better head out,” said sans. “it’s almost papyrus’ bedtime, and he gets cranky without a bedtime story.”

“We’ll find a way to fix this,” said Dipper. “Mabel and I. We have, uh…experience with this kind of thing.”

“i mean, you probably won’t,” said sans. “but thanks anyway.”

He walked past the fichus in the corner and disappeared.

It took Dipper longer to leave. Too much was going through his head, not just about what sans had said but how he looked when he said it. He was going to have to set things right. There was no way around it.

When he did stumble out, he was surprised to find Mabel.

“Hey Dipper!” Mabel said. “I just finished up Mettaton’s play! How was your date with sans?”

It barely fazed Dipper to hear it called a date. His mind was on too many other things.

“Do you remember what the Journal said about time travel?” Dipper asked.

“Hmm…I’m not sure about the Journal, but there was that Blendin’ guy,” Mabel said.

“That’s what I was thinking too,” said Dipper. “No matter how we get back home, we need to remember to find a way to contact him.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Mabel said. “I’ll make a note of it in this cool notebook I bought from the turtle!”


	20. Chapter 5

Flowey LV 9999 9999:99

MY WORLD

*Continue *Restart

“Dipper,” said Mabel. “I don’t think this is fun anymore…”

“H̵̲̓̇͋́̐o̸̮̾͆̉̔̏̓̕ẁ̶̢̮̪͙͗͛̒̇͠d̴̡͍̀̍y̶̛̫̱͔̜̖͛̕!” said Flowey. I̴t̸’̸s̷ ̴m̴e̷,̷ ̵F̶l̸o̴w̸e̵y̷!̵ ̷F̶l̶o̶w̵e̴y̵ ̵t̵h̷e̶ ̷F̶l̶o̶w̸e̷r̵!̶ ̴I̴ ̵o̸w̸e̷ ̷y̵o̷u̶ ̶a̴ ̵H̷U̷G̵E̷ ̴t̶h̸a̶n̴k̸s̶!̴ ̴Y̷o̴u̷ ̶r̶e̴a̷l̵l̸y̷ ̴d̴i̷d̸ ̵a̵ ̴n̴u̷m̶b̶e̶r̴ ̷o̷n̶ ̵t̷h̶a̶t̵ ̸o̴l̵d̶ ̶f̷o̷o̶l̶.̵ ̷W̸i̵t̷h̵o̷u̶t̴ ̸y̵o̶u̴,̷ ̷I̴ ̸N̵E̴V̸E̴R̶ ̶c̷o̵u̵l̴d̵ ̸h̴a̷v̷e̴ ̷g̴o̶t̸t̶e̶n̶ ̷p̷a̶s̷t̸ ̴h̶i̷m̶.̴ ̴B̵u̴t̷ ̸n̴o̷w̷,̷ ̸w̶i̵t̷h̵ ̴Y̷O̴U̵R̶ ̴h̶e̶l̶p̸…̷h̵e̶’̴s̴ ̴d̸e̴a̸d̸.̴ ̷A̸n̴d̶ ̴I̵’̵V̸E̷ ̷g̷o̷t̷ ̸t̸h̷e̷ ̶h̶u̸m̶a̶n̶ ̸S̸O̴U̵L̶S̷!̸

“B̶o̷y̵!̵ ̵I̵’̷v̴e̶ ̵b̵e̴e̶n̴ ̷e̸m̶p̶t̷y̷ ̶s̷o̵ ̴l̵o̵n̵g̴…̵I̸t̶ ̷f̶e̷e̸l̶s̷ ̴g̷r̴e̷a̶t̴ ̴t̷o̶ ̶h̶a̷v̶e̴ ̵a̵ ̸S̵O̷U̷L̸ ̴i̶n̸s̸i̷d̶e̸ ̸m̸e̸ ̵a̴g̵a̴i̶n̶.̴ ̶M̵m̸m̸,̵ ̶I̸ ̵c̴a̶n̶ ̴f̵e̸e̶l̵ ̵t̷h̵e̶m̷ ̴w̸r̷i̷g̸g̴l̵i̵n̸g̷…̵”̸

“Ew,” said Mabel.”

“̴A̴w̶w̷,̸ ̶y̷o̶u̷’̵r̴e̷ ̶f̵e̴e̶l̷i̵n̴g̶ ̸l̸e̸f̴t̶ ̸o̶u̵t̶,̶ ̸a̶r̴e̷n̵’̵t̷ ̶y̵o̸u̸?̶ ̷W̶e̴l̴l̴,̷ ̸t̵h̴a̶t̸’̶s̶ ̸j̷u̸s̸t̸ ̴p̶e̸r̷f̷e̵c̵t̴.̶ ̶A̸f̵t̸e̵r̶ ̸a̷l̴l̴,̴ ̷I̷ ̷o̴n̴l̵y̷ ̴h̵a̴v̸e̷ ̶s̷i̴x̸ ̶S̶O̷U̵L̸S̶.̶ ̷I̴ ̸s̵t̴i̵l̸l̸ ̸n̷e̵e̶d̶ ̶o̵n̴e̴ ̸m̴o̴r̶e̶…̸b̴e̸f̸o̴r̶e̶ ̷I̴ ̵b̸e̸c̴o̵m̷e̷ ̶G̶o̸d̸.̴ ̶A̸n̵d̸ ̶t̴h̸e̵n̴,̵ ̸w̵i̵t̷h̵ ̵m̶y̸ ̷n̸e̴w̷f̶o̸u̸n̴d̵ ̸p̷o̶w̵e̶r̴s̸…̴m̴o̷n̵s̷t̸e̷r̷s̶,̸ ̵h̶u̴m̸a̶n̸s̴,̸ ̸e̸v̸e̴r̵y̴o̷n̵e̷…̸I̷’̸l̷l̸ ̵s̴h̴o̷w̸ ̴t̶h̵e̴m̶ ̴a̴l̷l̷ ̴t̶h̶e̶ ̵R̵E̴A̷L̸ ̷m̷e̶a̴n̶i̶n̵g̴ ̴o̵f̵ ̵t̵h̷i̵s̶ ̷w̴o̶r̶l̷d̵!̴”̶

Out of the darkness came a writhing mass that made up Flowey’s new form. It moved about on tentacle-like vines as wide as the two twins were, and infinitely long. It was supported from the back with thick metal tubing that seemed to connect everywhere and nowhere. A face had made of spare bits of organ and tissue, barely connected together or resembling anything human. But the real face was on the monitor above it, where a crude happy face had been drawn. The eyes widened, and a piercing laugh echoed all around them.

The Fight began. Monster bullets filled the darkness. Vines snapped at them and attempted to bind them to the ground. Flies swarmed around them, flying into flytrap-shaped buds. Flamethrowers shot from the face, cross-shaped bullets shot from the eyeballs. ‘Friendliness pellets’ sniped at their Souls. There was nothing that could be done. They could not dodge, they could not Fight, they could not Spare.

The last thing Dipper heard was the sickening snap of Mabel’s Soul, then his own.

“This is all just a bad dream,” said Asgore, who was dead. “And you’re never waking up.”

*LOAD

Error.

Coraline was no longer facing Flowey. She had no idea where she was. She was surrounded by monster bullets, buttons as big as she was. They spun around her, but did not strike.

In the center of one of the patterns, she saw someone. She called for help.

File: “BRVRY.soul” uploaded successfully.

The wind kicked up, carrying monster bullets in the shape of leaves. Roots snapped at their feet, trying to take them down with them. Dying in this place, the Unknown, whatever it was, was worse than dying in real life. In real life, the body gives out. Here, it is the soul that fades away.

Wirt did his best to stomp them out. He couldn’t give up. He had to find Greg. He had to find the others.

He called for help.

File: “JSTC.soul” uploaded successfully

File: “KNDNSS.soul” uploaded successfully

FILE 2 SAVED

The first thing Dipper heard was the snapping of his Soul.

He did not get a chance to think. Bullets still surrounded them. Mabel was now attacking the Flowey Monster, firing her grappling hook at it like a gun and pulling the rope back towards her. That seemed to pester it more than hurt it.

More bullets, hands making finger guns with flowers springing forth, fired towards them. Dipper did not get the chance to react.

He called for help.

File: “PRSRVR.soul” uploaded successfully

File: “NTGRT.soul” uploaded successfully

FILE 2 SAVED

Norman did the only thing he could think of doing.

“Once upon a time, there was…”

The voice of the Witch taunted him, but she was not even there anymore. Bullets in the shape of lightning bolts struck him. But he had to keep going.

He called for help.

File: “PTNC.soul” uploaded successfully

FILE 2 SAVED

And somebody came.

They were not alone. There were others now, their faces illuminated by their glowing Souls. They could not have been older than them, some even younger than that, but they were ready to *FIGHT.

FLOWEY’s Defense dropped to 0!

There were still bullets pouring from the eyeballs, so many that it was impossible to move without getting struck. Still, Dipper felt stronger. He could tell that his hits, weak as they were, were doing something now. Flowey groaned in pain with every hit, whether they came from his notebook, Mabel’s grappling hook, or any of the other weapons the others had.

He felt…*DETERMINed

File 2 Saved

Error

*RESET

File 2 Erased successfully

*LOAD

Error: No game file found

*NEW GAME

Error: File “DT.soul” corrupted or missing. Unable to create new game file

* O£¡  
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*File 3 Created

Bill Cipher LV: 9999 9999:99

Weirdmageddon

*Continue *Restart


	21. Chapter 1

A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins. Injured by its fall, the human called out for help.

Asriel, the king’s son, heard the human’s cries. He brought the human back to the castle.

Overtime, the human child and Asriel became like siblings. The King and Queen treated the human child like their own. The Underground was full of hope.

Then…one day…the human became very ill.

The sick human had only one request. To see the flowers from their village. But there was nothing we could do.

The next day.

The next day.

…

The human died.

Asriel, whacked with grief, absorbed the human’s soul. He transformed into a being with incredible power.

With the human’s soul, Asriel crossed through the Barrier. He carried the human’s body into the sunset. Back to the village of the humans.

Asriel reached the center of the village. There, he found a bed of golden flowers. He carried the human onto it.

Suddenly, screams rang out. The villagers saw Asriel holding the human’s body. They thought that he had killed the child.

The humans attacked him with everything they had. He was struck with blow after blow. Asriel had the power to destroy them all.

But…Asriel did not fight back. Clutching the human, Asriel smiled, and walked away.

Wounded, Asriel stumbled home. He entered the castle and collapsed. His dust spread across the garden.

The kingdom fell into despair. The king and queen had lost two children in one night. The humans had once again taken everything from us.

The king decided it was time to end our suffering. Every human who falls down here must die. With enough Souls, we can shatter the Barrier forever.

It’s not long now.

King Asgore will let us go.

King Asgore will give us hope.

King Asgore will save us all.

You should be smiling, too. Aren’t you excited? Aren’t you happy?

You’re going to be free.

_Five with the Moon_

_An Undertale Mega-Crossover series_

_By the Poor Sap Advocate_

Chapter 1

_Led through the mist, by the milk-light of moon, all that was lost, is revealed. Our long bygone burdens, mere echoes of the spring. But where have we come, and where shall we end? If dreams can't come true, then why not pretend?_

Frisk woke up with a jolt. It took them a minute to gather their bearings, even though they knew exactly where they were.

They walked into the next room, and saw Flowey.

“Clever, verrryyy clever,” said Flowey. “You think you’re real smart, don’t cha? But don’t act so cocky. I know what you did. You idiot. Do you think you’re the only one with that power? The power to reshape the world, purely by your own DETERMINATION…the power to play god. Enjoy that power while you can. Because I will be getting it back.”

Flowey’s face shifted, rising about his body and turning into a grotesque, melting skull. It laughed a high barking laugh they had heard so many times, before he burrowed back underground.

They had not Reset, they realized. They remembered the fight with Flowey, and the others, and what they did afterwards. But they did not Save or Reset after that. And if Flowey did not, then who had?

They were shaken out of their thoughts as Toriel approached. Their body froze up.

“Hello,” said Toriel. “Are you alright?”

They did not know how to answer.

* * *

Dipper was not sure if he actually woke up, or if he just started to become aware of his current situation. The world around him was filled with nothing. His mind was still reeling, from the fight to the other kids to even what had gone on in the Underground. But even more than that, his head was filled with memories he did not remember having.

_“How the gentle wind, beckons through the leaves, as autumn colors fall…_ well, it ain’t no Vera Lynn, but it’ll work in a pinch for an ominous piano solo!”

“Bill?” said Dipper.

“Pine Tree! How’s it hangin’?” said Bill Cipher as he made himself known to Dipper. “Get it? Because the fragile thing you call existence hangs in the balance!”

“What are you doing here Bill?” Dipper asked.

“Relax, Pine Tree,” said Bill. “I actually have a lot to thank you for. Pull up a chair, get comfortable, say hi to Christopher Walken!”

Dipper tried to ignore the writhing mass of arms in the vague shape of a chair next to him.

“See, I’ve been trying to break into the Underground since before the Great Pancake War,” said Bill. “But that stupid barrier and that stupid dog prevent any magical beings like me to enter. But thanks to you, I didn’t need to! I didn’t even need to get to the Core! You and you dumb friends with brightly colored souls already caused a rift in the forces of reality! Time is meaningless, normal is weird, and _your dimension is mine for the taking_!”

Whatever ground underneath Dipper’s feet trembled. The sky overhead began to fall apart, revealing a bright X-shaped rift.

“Thanks for all your help, kid!” said Bill. “I mean, I already had this great plan for you involving a computer and a sock puppet, but this’ll be a lot more interesting! Enjoy your time in the Unknown, Pine Tree! Tell me what you look like when you wake up! Hope it looks something like this!”

Bill’s eye elongated and he waved his arms wildly. He started to scream, but that trailed off into a maniacal laugh.

Dipper woke up with his eyes opened wide and his arms waving wildly. Before he even had time to process anything else, he felt shame.

That feeling wore off quickly, and he let himself focus on where he was. The forest was dark and thickly crowded with trees. Only the quarter moon ahead gave him any light. It was not the forest around Gravity Falls, yet it felt increasingly familiar to him. Dipper had been there before. Or, after the fight with Flowey, had the memories of being there before. Or, among the myriad of possibilities of time, had been there before. It gave him too much of a headache to really think about. Right now, he had to focus on getting back to Gravity Falls.

A groan beside him alerted him to the fact that he was not alone. He glanced down towards the source. He remembered him. The kid with the orange soul. It took him a minute to pull himself off the ground and notice Dipper.

“Where are we?” He asked.

“I was hoping you would know,” Dipper said.

The kid pulled himself off the ground and looked around. “You know, I think I do.”

* * *

The zombies look as every bit as grotesque as Mabel thought they would; pale green skin that should have rotten, skeletal limbs and organs that should be spilling out. But they had a certain amount of composure to them. They still wore the clothes they were buried in, and they did not start to chase her until after she started to run.

Mabel remembered fighting zombies before, somewhere. She had lived through the last week several different times, in several different places, and now the memories were all scrambled.

“Candy ATTACK!”

The zombie with the silliest looking wig flinched as it was pelted with candy. Before it could respond, Mabel felt someone take her hand and pull her away.

The kid was quite a deal younger than she was, maybe 6 or 7. His clothes were like something people in old-timey cartoons would wear, although she had no idea why the teapot was on his head. Mabel had seen him before too, but she couldn’t remember it well either.

They took refuge in the city hall. It was already night, and it looked like the building had been shut down for the night. The shattered window told Mabel how the other had managed to get inside the first time.

“That was close,” the boy said. “Where do you think we are?”

Mabel looked at the nearby reception desk, and pawed through the paperwork.

“Blithe’s Hollow, _Massachusetts_? “

“That’s not too far!”

“It is for me,” said Mabel. “And my brother might be out there! And he can’t fight on his own!”

“So’s my bro,” said the boy. “And…hey, where’s Monika?”

* * *

Time would not progress in the room in Toriel’s house, they had figured out. It would be nice, if they were ever allowed to sleep in there.

They spent a longer time than usual in the room, this time. They knew that when they left, they really would not come back. They would reach ASGORE, and they would fix their mistakes. And the end would come.

“Do you plan on eating that?” said the Cat.

He sat on the floor, eyeing the Butterscotch Cinnamon pie suspiciously. By his side was the Frog they had seen the cool kid with the elephant costume with, who stood and bowed before resuming being a normal frog.

“I mean,” said the Cat. “I prefer to hunt my own food, but we have not eaten anything since the cup of ketchup, and no matter what I do, I can’t get the mouse to come out of the wall.”

At first, Frisk wanted nothing more than to scoop the Cat into their arms and hug them. But they held themselves back.

“Is something the matter?” said the Cat.

_Scared_ , they managed to write. _Made things worse._

“Is this about those other kids?” said the Cat.

They managed to give a shaky nod.

“Look,” said the Cat. “If you spend all your time here thinking of all the ways things went wrong, then you’ll never be able to fix them. You can do this if you stop going about it with your head up your ass.”

Frisk did not say anything, mostly because they did not realize what that last word was.

“Don’t you have anything useful to say?” said the Cat, looking at the Frog.

The frog started to search through the toy chest. He pulled out a dusty toy piano and began to play.

_“When life gets you down, wearing a frown, don't look away, look up!”_ sang the Frog. _“'Cause memories true, come out of the blue; you know the way — look up!_ ”

“That’s not exactly what I meant by ‘useful’,” said the Cat.

“ _When you're feeling under the weather, and the dark clouds are getting to you…make your troubles light as a feather, and soon you'll be seeing a bright patch of blue! You....gotta look up, you gotta be strong, you gotta take things as they come. 'Cause everything new that happens to you is better when you...look up!”_

The frog bowed, put the toy piano back, and resumed being a normal frog. They giggled and clapped, and for a moment, things were okay.

They had a new plan.

* * *

Outside the Bubble was worse than what she thought could have been inside it. If she did not know any better, she would have thought she were in the desert. The ground was dry and dusty, the sun blazed overhead, and there were no signs of life anywhere. Just above the horizon were the signs of a town, burned and destroyed.

Gravity Falls, Coraline thought. The town was called Gravity Falls. She could vaguely remember being there before…

…But that wasn’t her. It was another girl, or her twin brother, or any of the others she met in That Place. The memories were there, though, as vivid and real as any other. It was getting hard to keep track of what _had_ happened.

One of them had to be there, she decided. Maybe they would know better what was going on. It wasn’t like she could stay out here forever, anyway.

She tried humming to herself as she went, to try and make herself brave enough.

“Oh my twitchy, witchy girl. I think you are so nice. I bring you bowls of porridge and I bring you bowls of ice…cream…”

* * *

Norman woke up in his room. He had no idea how. The last thing he remembered was fighting the Flowey monster in that weird unknown world with the others…

This was not his room, he realized. It looked exactly like it, down to the finest details. But it looked better, somehow. The zombie posters and prints all moved. There were other toys too; skulls that chattered their teeth and jumped, and skeletal dragons that soared around the room. But as wonderful as it was, he realized that his grandma was not there. No one was there.

He sprang out of his bed and ran into the living room. His house was all the same too, but better. He looked around for his grandmother, the kid that spoke in hands, anyone.

Norman stopped when he came face-to-face with his mother. She looked identical, save for her button eyes.

* * *

Things were proceeding just as Frisk thought they would. They asked Toriel if they could leave, she said they could never come back, and now they were out in the colds of Snowdin. sans was around here. He probably wasn’t going to be happy with them, they thought. So they needed to do something quick.

Back before all of this happened, when they could reasonably assume they were friends with sans, sans had talked to them about the Resets. He didn’t know much, and he didn’t have a whole lot of answers he could give them, but he said they could always ask. They weren’t sure how well he would hold up his end of the bargain now, but they had no other choice.

When they saw the shadow out of the corner of their eye, the braced themself. When they heard the branch snap behind them, they felt determined. When sans stood behind them, they summoned all of their courage to speak.

“I am the Legendary Fartmaster,”

They felt a little less determined when sans collapsed to the floor, laughing.


	22. Chapter 2

“well, this is it,” said sans. “welcome to scenic my lab.”

There were few places in the Underground that Frisk had not been to, at this point, and this was one of them. If sans had not taken them there himself, they would have never guessed that sans even had a lab. The tiles and textures looked like spare parts from Alphy’s lab. There was a fine layer of dust on everything, but it was still much neater than they expected sans could be. A long workbench was covered in blueprints and notebooks, written in a font Frisk could not read. At the end of the room was a large shape, covered in a tarp.

“use whatever you want,” said sans. “don’t know what good it’ll do you though.”

The Cat jumped off their shoulders and started sniffing suspiciously at the tarp. Frisk, meanwhile, turned their attention to the workbench.

“What exactly is this supposed to do?” the Cat asked.

“that? the doc called it a save state,” said sans. “it’s supposed to take you from dimension to dimension but i could never get it to work. didn’t take you for a budding quantum physicist.”

“And I didn’t expect you to…whatever a quantum physicist is,” said the Cat. “But does it work, is the thing?”

“no,” said sans.

“Well, can’t you try?” said the Cat

“believe me,” said sans “i’ve already given up.”

Frisk poked through the drawers. There was a photo album tucked inside. There were photos of sans with a lot of people they did not recognized…he looked happy.

“I’ve seen something like it before,” said the Cat. “Maybe we can ask them for help?”

“you can leave?” sans asked.

“No Barrier can hold me,” said the Cat. “I’m just not sure about bringing along passengers.”

The frog ribbited in agreement.

There was a card sticking out of the photo album. On it were three poorly drawn figures. On the back it said *don’t forget.

“well,” said sans. “do what you want. i’m about done here.”

sans shortcutted out. The Cat sighed.

“I don’t know why you put your faith in him,” said the Cat.

Frisk knew they could.

* * *

They waited until they were out of the woods to talk again. It wasn’t until they reached the pumpkin patches of Pottsfield, just as daylight was beginning to hit again, when Dipper broke the silence.

“Alternate dimension, right?” said Dipper.

“W--what?” said Wirt.

“This place. This…Unknown. It’s some kind of alternate dimension,” said Dipper. “The journal had some schematics for a portal gun, but I wouldn’t even try to put them together from memory now, especially without the proper materials…”

“I don’t know, does it matter?” said Wirt.

“Well, if we know what the problem is, we can figure out how to solve it,” said Dipper.

“The problem is,” said Wirt. “We’re lost in the woods, I have no idea where my brother is, and I have no idea how to get out.”

The problem was Wirt did know where he was. He knew he had been here before, many times, more times than he could remember. He could still feel the branches ensnaring his Soul. He had died here.

No…he had died somewhere else, too. In the cemetery, over the garden wall.

“I think I figured out the problem,” said Wirt.

“Oh?” said Dipper.

“I think we died.”

“Oh.”

* * *

Mabel was suddenly very thankful that Grunkle Stan had taught her how to hotwire a car. She would have to thank him once they got out of there. Driving would be a little more difficult, but Mabel had already worked out a plan: she would take the wheel, and Greg would take the pedals.

“So it’s 2,554 miles to Gravity Falls, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of Smile Dip, it’s dark, and I lost my sunglasses. Because it’s dark.”

“We’re just going to leave?” said Greg.

“Well, duh!” said Mabel. “What, did you want to stay through the zombie apocalypse?”

“No! But what about your brother? What about my brother? What about everyone else in town?”

He had a point. It did seem cruel to just leave the people of this town to their fate.

“But what do you think we can do about it?” said Mabel.

“We have to try _something_!”

She wasn’t sure what she _could_ try. Dipper was always the better plan-maker between the two of them. Even Stan could make up a good getaway plan. She had to think like them.

It was hard to think with her memories all jumbled like this. Sometimes she would think she was in the Underground again, and sometimes she would think she was in a forest she did not recognize and yet she did. Sometimes she would even think she was in Blithe’s Hollow before all of this started, talking to ghosts and reading to a witch.

So what had happened before all of that? She remembered Bill Cipher, and she remembered Gideon. She remembered winning back the Mystery Shack, and they were going to throw a party to celebrate.

And then she remembered something she wasn’t sure had happened yet. She remembered what happened the night of the party. She remembered yelling at Dipper.

“ _Dipper! What is the one thing I told you not to do tonight?”_

_“Wake the dead…”_

_“And what did you do?”_

_“Wake the dead…”_

“I have a plan!” said Mabel. “Do you like to sing?”

“Do I ever!” said Greg.

* * *

Somehow, the Mystery Shack had remained intact throughout the Oddpocalypse. Perhaps it was because the Mystery Shack still had protections from its previous owner, or perhaps it could not be more broken than it already was under the new owner. Coraline, who did not know anything about the tale of two Stans, was just glad she could find one Stan.

It was the best business the Shack had seen in years. Humans, gnomes, manutaurs, whatever Toby Determined was, and a whole assortment of weird creatures had taken refuge inside. The one she found most surprising, however, was the black cat. Not only because he was already deep in conversation with Stan, but because she had seen that cat before.

“It doesn’t matter how I know about it,” said the Cat. “What matters is we need to use that machine.”

“Forget it,” said Stan. “You’re not a licensed quantum physicist, and neither am I, and what we should be focusing on now is how long we can survive on my canned meat before we have to resort to eating our own. I give it three weeks before we have to kill the gnomes.”

“You can’t hide here forever,” said the Cat.

“Well, we sure can try!”

“Excuse me,” said Coraline.

The two snapped their heads towards her. Instantly, Coraline felt herself at a loss for words. But still, he had to do something.

“I need to find my friends,” said Coraline. “I don’t know where they are, or what’s going on, but I need your help. And if you can’t help me…then I’ll have to go back out there and find them. On my own. Against the Horrifying Sweaty One-Armed Monstrosity.”

Neither of them said anything. Coraline started to realize her words were true. She turned, only for Stan to sigh.

“Fine,” said Stan. “But we find Ford first. Got it?”

“Ford?” Coraline asked. Even with the wibbly-wobbly timeline, she had not heard that name before.

“If anyone can figure out how to beat that Triangle Man, it’s Ford. I know it,” said Stan. “We find him first, or I’m not touching that machine.”


	23. Chapter 3

To say that Stanford Pines had never expected to come home again was an understatement. He had been stranded, lost in another dimension entirely, with the portal to send him back wrecked and half-finished, and a brother with only six brain cells left to fix it.

So he embarked on a thirty year adventure throughout the multiverse. Finding everything he could about Bill in hopes to defeat him, travelling with outlaws, stealing enough parts to create a Quantum Destabilizer, learning thirteen languages that did not even exist in his home dimension, and getting into fistfights with talking couches. He and ex (it was hard to say what he and Rick exactly were. Ex-lab partners, ex-gang members, ex-partners…but there was definitely an ex in there, because that was just the kind of person Rick was) even made a smaller version of his machine, a portal gun. But without the coordinates to his home dimension, there was never any hope of returning.

That was until one day Rick showed up with a pen, a coffee cup with a question mark on it, and a notepad crossed with both his and his brother’s handwriting.

So he returned to the dimension the portal machine spat him out of thirty years ago, and waited. And waited. And just when he was ready to give up entirely, the portal opened, and he was home.

To say that Ford never expected to come home again was an understatement. But it wasn’t joy that Ford felt when he stepped into Gravity Falls. It wasn’t relief that the journey was over, and he could retire from his years of living on the run and live a peaceful life. It wasn’t pride in his brother that he was somehow, against all odds, able to save him.

No, Ford was pissed off.

“Ford,” said Stanley as he walked through the portal. “You’re here. After all these years…”

Ford decked him.

“OW!” said Stanley. “What the f—ruitcake, Poindexter?”

Stanley never held himself back from swearing unless there were children present. It was then Ford realized he had an audience. The lab had been half-ruined, no doubt a side effect of when the Portal activated, but it was packed to the brim with almost everything he had found in his studies of Gravity Falls. Gnomes, Manutaurs…was that Fiddleford sitting in the back, refusing to meet his eye? He had grown so old…and rustic. On a screen beside him was some video conference with a skeleton, certainly not a human one, watching lazily. Beside them, a girl with a cat. 

“Aren’t you going to thank me,” said Stanley, shaking him back to reality. “From saving you from some weird…sci-fi sideburns dimension?”

“Thank you?” said Ford. “After what you did to me 30 years ago?”

Ford charged him again. Stanley was getting rusty. Just like old times, Ford was able to pin his arms behind his back.

“Don’t think I’ll hold back on ya just because we need ya!” said Stanley, as he broke out of his hold. That was a new one. The fight began.

He was so distracted by the fight, however, that he didn’t even realize when the Portal Machine activated again.

* * *

Even over the zombie apocalypse, the sound of 80’s pop music was impossible to drown out.

“Zombies and Gentlemen,” said Mabel. “I’m Mabel, this is Neal and Alvin, and we’re Love Patrol Beta!”

It was a poor last minute substitution, even poorer because at the very last minute she lost her DJ, but Mabel knew this would work. She had seen it before.

Besides, it was fun to watch zombie’s heads explode.

* * *

Dipper was looking at Wirt, but it was too hard to focus on him as the corners of his vision grew fuzzy. His whole body was shaking. He tried to scream, but he could not even breathe right. His heart drummed against his chest, growing tighter and tighter as the branches ensnared his Soul.

Dipper must have realized what was going on, because he helped guide him to the larger pumpkins to sit down on. He waited until Wirt’s breathing grew easier to talk.

“Are you feeling any better?” Dipper asked once he had regained his senses.

“No,” said Wirt. “I’m dead, remember?”

“Oh,” said Dipper.

“I drowned. Or, I _was_ drowning, and I ended up here in the Unknown,” said Wirt.

“Well,” said Dipper. “If it makes you feel any better, you’re the nicest ghost I’ve met.”

“Gee, thanks,” said Wirt. “How are you so calm? Why aren’t you worried at all?”

“It’s not that I’m not worried,” said Dipper. “But freaking out right now won’t get us anywhere. We have to make a plan. So…what do you remember about the Unknown? Is it like…limbo or something?”

Wirt hadn’t exactly tried to think about the Unknown the first time around. It was too weird for him. Even the people he thought could help could hinder just as much. The Woodsman, Aunti Whispers, Beatrice…

“Wait,” said Wirt. “We’re in Pottsfield, right?”

“Uh…think so?” said Dipper. “It’s kind of hard to remember…I think whatever Bill did to the timeline is making me remember things that didn’t happen…”

But Wirt remembered very well. The skeletons, the weird people in the pumpkin costumes, that one girl that said that he “didn’t look ready yet”, the guy in the large pumpkin costume…the only thing Wirt couldn’t remember was his name.

“Enoch,” said a low, sing-song-y voice behind him. “Head of the Pottsfield Chamber of Commerce. Might I ask why you two boys are sitting on our prized pumpkins?”

* * *

Greg had seen it before. Or, at least, he thought he did. There were too many thoughts in his head to really remember which ones were his. But he had seen it before. He would meet the Witch in the forest, and then all of this would stop.

Sure enough, there she was. She was less of a witch like Greg was thinking, less like Adelaide or even like Aunti Whispers. She flickered like a candlelight. She sparked like lightning. She was just as scary-looking as either of them, even as scary-looking as the Beast, but Greg wasn’t scared. In fact, looking at her made him feel sad.

He walked closer to her, careful to dodge the bursts of lightning she sent his way.

“Hiya,” said Greg.

“What do you want?” said the Witch.

“Hmm…well, I want a lot of things,” said Greg. “I want a magical tiger, and for Westly to get fingernails so he can play the guitar better, and I want to find my brother and find a way back home.”

The image of the Witch flickered.

“But in order to do that,” said Greg. “We gotta get past you. So, is there anything you want?”

“I—I want—they’ll suffer—I—"

“Maybe you want a Rock Fact?” Greg said, and pulled the rock from out of his overalls. “‘Did you know that if you didn’t have mucus, your stomach would digest itself? It’s a Rock Fact!”

“You—you’ll pay for this,” said the Witch. She was less a person and more of a series of flashing lights.

“Yeah, I didn’t actually pay for the Rock,” said Greg. “I stole it from Young Man Daniels. And that’s why I gotta get home, so I can give it back to her. And I really want to find my brother again. And my frog. But you’re welcome to come with us!”

“I—what?”

“Yeah, the more, the merrier!” said Greg. “I don’t think you want to spend the rest of your life in this forest. It gets kind of boring after a while, trust me. So maybe you can come with us! You can meet Wirt, and Mabel, and Beatrice, and Lorna—"

“YOU’RE LYING!!!”

Lighting struck all around him. One bolt collided directly with his Soul, sending him flying backwards. Greg tried to get back to his feet, but the Witch towered over him. She was far less human than she used to be, barely a spark, but she still looked so sad.

“You have beautiful eyes,” said Greg, so distracted by them that he did not notice the portal open behind him.

“Kid!”

Coraline ran out of the portal. She pulled the cannon off her back and fired. It collided with the Witch head on, causing her to regain her form and stumble backwards. It did not do too much damage, since it was only a t-shirt from a t-shirt cannon, but it was long enough to distract her and for the Cat to lunge into action.

“Are you okay, kid?” said Coraline.

“I’m okay,” said Greg. “But I’m not too sure about her.”

“It’s fine,” said Coraline. “She’ll be fine. Let’s worry about fixing everything else first.”

* * *

“Enoch,” said Wirt, trying to ignore the way his voice cracked. “We need to get out of the Unknown.”

“That’s what you all say,” said Enoch, with a sigh. “I’ll warn you: it won’t be easy. Is whatever you have going on that important?”

“Of course it is,” said Wirt. “It’s for my brother.”

“He’ll be here eventually, I’m sure,” said Enoch.

He didn’t want to think about Greg putting on a pumpkin costume and dancing around with a bunch of skeletons. Unless they were sans and Papyrus. They seemed pretty cool.

“Wow, okay,” said Dipper. “But Bill will hurt everyone. Here, Gravity Falls, the Underground, everywhere. We have to stop him.” 

Enoch’s head pivoted like a turntable, focusing its eye holes on Dipper. He squirmed slightly, but remained focused.

“You can leave,” said Enoch. “It’s a little too soon for you to be here. But I’m afraid that you friend here has reached the end of the line. He’s gonna have to find what’s on the other side.”

So he had been right. He had drowned. Or, he had been in the process of drowning. The distinction was important somehow, but he was trying too hard not to panic again to figure out why. Wirt took a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself.

“But I left the Unknown before,” said Wirt. “Or, I think I had. There has to be a way, right?”

“There is,” said Enoch. “But you won’t like it.”

“Just tell us what we have to do,” said Wirt.

“You’ll have to climb back over the garden wall,” said Enoch. “But it won’t be easy. Part of your soul will still be here, in the Unknown. Whatever life you live up there will be a tortured life. A short one. And when you return…well, the forest always needs a Beast.”

He remembered the Beast. He remembered confronting the Beast. He remembered how the Beast had lied to him, how it seemed like a senseless sacrifice. But now, he was not too sure. Enoch may be cryptic, but he was not lying.

“There has to be another way,” said Dipper.

But Wirt didn’t think there was. At least, not _now_. The fact that both he and Dipper remembered things that had not happened proved that this was not just a problem between life and death, but of time as well. Bill was playing with time and space, and they were caught in the middle. But if they could stop things from happening now, then there was a chance they could use Bill’s tricks against him. They could go back to before this deal ever happened, or before they even fell into the pond, or before he put that stupid mixtape into Sara’s coat.

That would be after. Or, before, rather. Wirt had to make his decision right _now_.

“So let me ask,” said Enoch. “Are you prepared to face any consequence to save him? Are you willing to face true darkness?”

“I’ll do it,” said Wirt.

The carved smile on Enoch’s costume grew larger, and larger, until it hardly resembled a smile anymore.

The next thing Wirt knew, he was underwater, desperately gasping for air. Somehow, he managed to grab onto Dipper’s vest and bring them back to open air. Somehow, someone had managed to grab onto both of them and bring them back to solid ground.

His vision was blurred, but he could see a blue figure hovering above him.

“B—bea—trice?” He asked, voice shaking.

A girl leaned in closer. A human girl, and one that Wirt was sure he had seen before.

“Co…ra…”

He couldn’t make out anymore. His vision grew dark, and that was the last thing he could remember.

* * *

Coraline was quite surprised to hear that the Stans Lee and Ford had stopped fighting once she left. They were still arguing, sure, but they were at least shouting and not coming to blows. The two had huddled over the lab tables, talking in hushed tones about their next course of action.

“good job kid,” said sans. “there’s just one more kid that we ran into left to find.”

“You’re not going to like it,” said the Cat. The fur on his tail was starting to bristle.

“Why?” said Coraline. “Do you know where the other kid is?”

“I can guess based on patterns,” said the Cat. “If we’re going to all the other places Frisk has gone, then there’s only one place left. Beldam. The ‘Other Mother’, you called her.”

Coraline remembered that world all too well.

“Then that means we have to make sure they’re safe,” said Coraline.

“I know that,” said the Cat. “But it won’t be easy.”

The Machine seemed to work on its own. All Coraline needed to do was step through, and she would be exactly where she needed to be. She thought it was magic. sans suspected it was something else. But the Cat knew exactly who it was helping them.

The Other Mother’s World had changed. It did not look the nicer version of the Pink Palace that she had made to trap Coraline, but it did look quite a bit like the version of Blithe Hollow in her memories.

No, she realized, not _her_ memories.

She turned to speak to the Cat, but his attention was turned elsewhere. It looked like he was talking to the wall…

“Fine,” the Cat said, and turned his attention to Coraline. “We’ll work on distracting the Beldam. But it won’t work forever. Find the other kid, and fast.”

“Got it,” said Coraline.

But that was easier said than done. The Other Mother could make as big a world as she wanted, and she did not know Norman well enough to guess where he could be. She ran through the halls randomly, checking every room until she found him sitting on the bed.

“You’re…Norman, right?” said Coraline. “We have to go.”

Norman did not move. It then occurred to him just how sad he looked.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

“The other ghosts told me what’s going on,” said Norman. “But…I don’t think I’m ready to leave yet.”

“She’ll kill you if you stay,” said Coraline.

“I know,” said Norman. “But…that was the first time my dad smiled at me since Grandma died.”

Coraline felt her Soul plummet. It would be easier if the Other Mother had promised him cake, or toys, or something that did not matter. But Norman mattered, and so did his need to belong. She thought back to the Bubble she had been it. It was much like the Other Mother’s world, too much like the Other Mother’s world, and that had been the only way she had escaped. But she thought to what the Other Mother and the Bubble had made for her. She wanted her parents to stop working on that catalogue so they could play outside together. She wanted to be with her friends, away from the Pink Palace. Were those so wrong to want?

“It’s not like he’s a bad person or anything,” said Norman. “None of them are. But sometimes…they say and do things that hurt because they’re afraid.”

“They shouldn’t be afraid of you,” said Coraline. “You’re, like, ten.”

“Eleven,” said Norman.

“You deserve to be treated better than that,” said Coraline.

“Maybe,” said Norman.

“Definitely,” said Coraline. “You’re a cool kid. And if they can’t see that, then I’ll tell them that. And so will the others. I’m sure Mr. Stan would love the excuse to beat someone up!"

That made Norman laugh.

“I don’t need him to beat them up,” said Norman. “I want them to change their minds. Even the worst person can change.”

An unholy wail echoed through the hall. Sounds like the fight with the Beldam had started.

“That sounds like we should be going,” said Coraline. “Ready to head into the unknown?”

“No,” said Norman. “Let’s do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now what’s Over the Garden Wall without any idea on what the hell is going on?  
> There are two key questions left unanswered at the end of OtGW: the nature of the Unknown, and the nature of the Beast. And to be fair, we don’t really need an answer? The world is called "The Unknown” for a reason, right? But I felt like if I were to build on that series without starting from scratch and writing a fan season 2 (maybe. …maybe.), I would have to at least touch on them. So hopefully I came up with something interesting, and that’s just clear enough to understand without cramming in unnecessary worldbuilding.  
> Urgh, that Coraline and Norman scene…I’ve rewritten it like 10 times and I’m still not wholly satisfied. These kids deserve better.


	24. Chapter 4

Dipper woke up with a jolt. Ice clung onto his Soul, sharp and painful, like breathing in frozen air on a winter’s morning. It took him a moment to fight past the sting and pull himself upwards. He was back in the Mystery Shack, pulled onto the couch in their living room, and surrounding him was everyone. Mabel, Wirt, Coraline, Greg, Norman, that other kid with squinty eyes…all looking at him with worried expressions.

“Dipper!” said Mabel, excitement fading into fear. “You might not want to be awake for this part.”

His eyes followed hers to the TV.

“This is Shandra Jimenez reporting live from the inside of Bill’s castle,” said the reporter on TV. “Here, for the first time, are images of what’s happened to the captured townsfolk. Viewers are advised to look away if they don’t want to see their friends and loved ones turned into a twisted throne of human agony.”

“Nope,” said Dipper. “Nope nope no no no no _no_!”

He shot up from his couch bed and paced through the Shack until he found his hat. He managed to gather quite the following of confused people as he did, and when he returned back to the living room, he stood on the shoulders of the Multibear to address an audience.

“Bill wants us to run and hide. He wants us to think he’s invincible,” said Dipper. “But we’ve all faced scarier things than him. We can beat him, too!”

“Dipper’s right,” said Mabel, as she joined him on the Multibear’s left shoulder. “Our friends need us.”

The only apparent benefit to being thrown head-first into an icy lake and passing out was that it gave him time to think. The jumbled memories of a broken timestream, before incomprehensible and vague, now clear as day. And now that he knew what was going on, that meant he could form a plan.

“I think I have a plan,” said Dipper “But it’s going to require all of us working together. And that means _all_ of us. Humans, monsters…whatever Toby is…”

“A mistake of nature!” said Toby Determined.

“So what do you say?” said Dipper.

He was speaking to everyone there, certainly, but his words were mostly meant for the five in front of him.

“I didn’t come this far just to be stopped by a triangle,” said Wirt.

“Yeah!” said Greg.

“He can’t keep us hiding here forever,” said Norman.

“And I’m not going down without a *Fight,” said Coraline.

The kid, tears brimming in their eyes, gave a nod as big as their body.

“Alright,” said Dipper. “Let’s get to work.”

* * *

“Now I’m a man of science, not magic,” Ford started.

“why not be both?” sans asked. “they’re not that different.”

“They’re both _forces_ ,” said the Cat. “You don’t understand them, you just _deal_ with them.”

“…But I am talking to a skeleton and a cat right now so anything goes,” said Ford.

“eyyy,” said sans, clicking his non-existent tongue and firing bony finger guns.

The shack was completely flipped as McGucket worked on his latest invention, but they had managed to save what was once the coffee table to strategize. The ten of them, plus sans on the video call, crowded around Ford as he pulled out his journal, _the Journal_ , and flipped to a blank page. He sketched out a circular pattern.

“I found this when I was first investigating the weirdness of Gravity Falls,” said Ford as he drew. “It took me years to fully understand, but it’s some kind of prophecy. Whatever these symbols represent can be used to create a spell to seal Bill and end his weirdness once and for all.”

“this is why you should brush up on your magic,” said sans. “that’s a barrier spell. pretty similar to the one we have keeping us in here.”

“There are ten symbols, though,” said Greg. “I thought the Barrier only needed seven.”

“only seven humans made the barrier,” said sans, with a shrug.

“There has to be a hundred people here at least,” said the Cat. “Take your pick.”

Dipper stared at the paper in front of him. There were ten symbols inscribed into a ring. A pine tree, a shooting star, a six-fingered hand, a crescent…

“Why is one of these just a bag of ice?” Coraline asked.

“That’s why it took me years to understand,” said Ford.

“Bill always called me ‘Pine Tree’ and Mabel ‘Shooting Star’,” said Dipper. “And Grunkle Stan has that symbol on his hat. Plus there’s you and your six fingers…”

That left the broken heart, the pentagram, the llama, the ice, the glasses, and the question mark. There weren’t any right answers, Dipper realized. They were too abstract to be right. It was not calling for one specific person to be right, but instead what was in their Soul. It could be anyone. It could even be Pacifica. But right now, in this time, Dipper knew who he could trust. 

“Kid, are you sure?” said Stan. “This is dangerous sh---tuff. You could get hurt.”

“If I don’t do it, who will?” said Dipper.

Stan opened his mouth to say something else, but his voice died as the floor shook under them. That sounded like McGucket was ready for them.

Dipper rushed out of the conversation and rushed to the attic. What was once his bedroom was now the cockpit of McGucket’s machinations. The others crammed into the corner, awaiting orders.

“Wendy, Candy, Grenda, and McGucket, you stay here to pilot the Shack-tron,” said Dipper. “Soos, you’re leading the away team to find a way to save everyone on Bill’s throne or in the Fearamid. The rest of us, we’re going down to fight Bill directly.”

“Let’s hope this works better than any of my other machines,” said McGucket.

Dipper took his place at the helm. He pulled the lever in front of him, and the Mystery Shack rose.

The body of the Shack remained intact, but it was now balanced upon a metal skeleton. It lurched forward on two robotic legs. Two arms sprouted from each side, one with a robotic hand, the other with a half-fossilized T-Rex. The head of the Gobblewonker towered above them.

“They made the house into a robot,” said the decapitated wax head of Larry King. “Fascinating.”

“Get us in close, McGucket,” said Dipper.

“Does this thing have an escape hatch?” said Stan.

The Mystery Shack-tron marched forward. Bill’s henchmaniacs blocked the way from the Fearamid, but if they weren’t pushed aside by Grenda and Candy on the arms, or McGucket on the Gobblewonker, then Wendy and Soos made quick work on them from the outside.

Bill’s Fearamid was in sight.

“Now’s our chance!” said Dipper.

“Cool Kids, move out!” said Mable.

The ten funneled into the escape pods. One by one, the Gobblewonk spit them out, sending them spiraling down into the Fearamid. Dipper scrambled to pull the string on his backpack, unfurling the patchwork parachute inside and allowing him to fall to safety.

The first thing he noticed was Bill’s throne. It was even worse up close, now that he could make out the details of everyone frozen inside. He tore his eyes away, and that’s when he noticed something else.

“Guys,” said Dipper. “Where’s Bill?”

“I’m gonna guess it has something to do with that triangle-shaped hole,” said Coraline.

It was definitely a Bill-shaped hole, but Dipper had no idea where it led. He leaned in closer, trying to see anything in the darkness. He was so distracted that he did not notice the kid until they pulled on his vest.

Underground, they wrote down on their notepad.

* * *

Her Other World was falling apart. There was no need to maintain the web without flies to trap inside. Soon, it will all fall back into the Void.

“Why?” said the Beldam. “Why would you stand in my way?”

W.D. Gaster did not respond.

“I know who you are,” said the Beldam. “I know how you got here. You’ve lost everything to humans. So why? Why would you go out of your way to protect _one_?”

He had thought that he had lost everything to humans for a long time. They were trapped in the Underground because of humans. He was hired as the Royal Scientist to find a way to break the barrier and defeat Humans. Humans were the enemy.

But Humans did not create the CORE. Humans did not cause him to throw away his Soul. Humans did not cause him to hurt sans, or Alphys, or the other assistants that fell with him. Humans did not make him go dark, darker, yet darker still. He did that all on his own.

He was wrong then. He could be better now.

*FIGHT

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She would come back. This timeline was not permanent. He just hoped it would take her a little longer this time.

The end would be soon. Very soon.

Here it comes.

* * *

Once upon a time, a man fell into the CORE. Once upon a time, a man wrote himself out of existence. Now, Bill Cipher stood at the edge of the CORE.

“And to think I could have just settled for one dimension,” said Bill. “Hope you’re ready, multiverse, because things are about to get _weird_...”

Bill’s Soul was neither human nor monster. It was simultaneously thin and heavy, stitched together in some places and charred in others. He struggled to turn it Blue at first, but it was nothing compared to the effort he needed for the barrage of bones and blasters he threw it through.

“huh,” said sans. “always wondered why people never use their strongest attack first.”

Bill turned his eye towards the smiley skeleton.

“Why, you little—!”

Fifty arms sprouted from Bill’s pyramidal body. sans deftly moved through the field of fists, not even noticing as the humans fell from the sky.

“good timing, kid,” said sans, as Bill’s turn ended and he could focus. “i’ll keep him busy. you focus on that barrier trick of yours.”

Bill’s eyeball unhinged, sharp fangs forming in the gaps it formed. It flew out of his body and launched itself at him. sans dodged out of the way, two Gaster Blasters forming at his side to fire when Bill’s turn was up.

*It’s the end

Dipper got to work. Reaching into his parachute backpack, he pulled out several cans of spray pain and tossed them to Mabel, Ford, and Stan.

“We don’t have to worry about making it perfect for now,” said Ford.

“No, we just have to worry about dodging whatever Triangle Man’s got up his nonexistent sleeves,” said Stan.

Speaking of Triangle Man, Bill turned his attention towards them. The Pines family scattered as Bill sent a wave of bullet bow-ties towards them. Stan and Ford entered the *Fight. That left Dipper and Mabel to complete the Zodiac.

*Time is dead and meaning has no meaning

“You’re really bad at arts and crafts, bro,” said Mabel, glancing down at the pine tree made of three triangles and a line.

“Trying my best,” said Dipper. “And didn’t Great Uncle Ford say it didn’t have to be perfect?”

“Not when you’re dealing with an arts and crafts master!” said Mabel. In the time it took him to make his paltry tree, she had already sketched out the shooting star, 6-fingered hand, and the crescent.

In the time it took Mabel to draw her symbols, it was Bill’s turn once again. He stumbled, still reeling backwards from sans’ wave of bones, before his eye settled on the twins. Lasers fired out of it, causing the twins to jump out of the way.

“Coraline!” said Mabel as she tossed the spray can across the room.

*Smells like deer teeth

Coraline barely managed to catch the can. Bill turned his attention to her.

“I’m going to crush you so hard that not even your _molecules_ will survive!” said Bill.

He inched closer and closer, his eye aflame. Coraline held the paint can out in front of her and sprayed. Black paint filled Bill’s vision, blocking the lasers and causing him to howl in pain. It distracted him just enough for Coraline to paint an icon of a bag of ice and toss the spray can to Wirt.

*A dimension is burning somewhere

Bill turned his aim towards Wirt and Greg. He summoned his fifty fists, but they flopped around uselessly as spray paint blinded his vision. Greg had a grand time jumping over them like jump rope as Wirt painted in the broken heart and the llama.

*Blame the arsonist for the fire

It was hard to see what was really going on. Between sans’s bone waves rushing through the floor, Ford’s portal gun shooting along the walls, and Bill’s magic bullets filling the spaces between, he could not make out the design.

“Wait, what else is there?” said Norman.

That was a mistake. Bill turned his attention to him, eye still red and watery but intensely focused.

“Hey, Pyramid Head!” said Stan.

Before Norman could even blink, Stan had jumped onto Bill’s backside. He grabbed onto Bill’s many arms and yanked them backwards.

“Glasses!” said Stan. “Get going, kid!”

Norman gave a shaky nod and got to painting.

*Trust no one

“Frisk,” said the Cat. “Now is not the time to freeze up.”

They couldn’t help it. The second they had seen sans’ attacks, their Soul had frozen up as if it were hit by the strongest Blue Attack. Each bone and each blaster felt like it was aimed at their Soul instead. Sins crawled along their back.

“Come on, Frisk,” said the Cat. “Stay determined!”

“That’s it!”

It had to have been Bill that spoke, but the voice was so distorted and demonic that it was unrecognizable. Bill erupted into blue flames, causing Stan to lose his grip and fall. The layers of his pyramidal form splitting apart to reveal rows and rows of teeth.

“I’ve had enough of this dimension,” said Bill. “Time to write it out of existence!”

Frisk was not sure what would happen if a Reset happened now, especially if they were not the one to control it. They could lose their friends. They could lose themself. They thought about what had brought them here. They thought about the Other World Monsters, and the Unknown, and Blithe’s Hollow, and Gravity Falls, and the Underground, and all the mistakes along the way. No, they had a chance to set things right, and they were *Determined to see it all the way to the end.

*Load failed.

“What?”

*Load failed

*Load failed

*File 1 Restored

“What, no!” said Bill.

He started to move, only to find his Soul encased in a cage of bones.

“We’re still missing one!” said Mabel.

“i can’t hold him here forever,” said sans.

“Fine, I’ll do it,” said the Cat. “But I’m not happy about it.”

He leapt off of Frisk’s shoulders and on to the question mark sigil. Staying determined, they stepped forward onto the pentagram.

The Zodiac was not perfect. The symbols had been crudely drawn, some too close to one another and others too far apart, and the circle was haphazard. But it was something they had put their Souls into, and their effort was rewarded. It sparked to life, magic pouring from the paint and enveloping them in bright light.

Bill screamed. He hardly needed sans to keep him in place now, for his body was deforming before their eyes. He was screaming, but it was too garbled and backwards for Frisk to understand. The light of the Zodiac grew brighter and brighter, until Frisk could no longer see.

*File SAVED

And the game ended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been working on this chapter for 5 months.
> 
> Significance of the Zodiac:  
> Frisk and the Pentagram: Initially I was going to have them with the broken heart just because they do have a broken heart if they die in Undertale, but I decided this worked better thematically. A pentagram is one line that connects other points. Frisk is one person that connects others. Worth pointing out is that, in the intro, the pentagram also has the eye mark for Gideon, but Ford draws only the pentagram in show.  
> The Cat and the Question Mark: The Cat is an unknown force. He is not human nor monster. He is not bound by any realm.  
> Coraline and Ice: The ice is supposed to represent a level-head in the face of danger. That doesn’t mean “not afraid”. Remember, Wendy represented ice in the original and she was “stressed 24/7”. Coraline is afraid, but she does not let her fear control her.  
> Wirt and the Broken Heart: Wirt fell into the Unknown after he thought he blew his chances with Sara. His other two romantic interests in the series (Beatrice and Lorna) betray him in some way. The main reason, however, is because right now his Soul is broken.  
> Greg and Llama: idk I think they’re cute  
> Norman and the glasses: This was honestly process of elimination. If I had the extra slot, I would have sans use them because of his busted eye and his scientific background. If I had to justify it, Norman is associated with reading (he has to defeat the Witch by reading to her, and I think he reads some comics?), and they could be reading glasses?  
> I did make Stan part of the Zodiac for realsies because a) Ford hasn’t had time to really be a jerk to him since returning, which caused Stan to be angry and resentful of his brother and not want to be part of the Zodiac in the first place and b) the Zodiac is a legit cool concept and to see it introduced and then fail in less than 2 minutes is really unsatisfying. I’m not saying Stan’s ultimate sacrifice at the end of Weirdmageddon isn’t great, but considering the Zodiac has been one of the major mysteries of the series since episode 1 and it amounting to nothing is just kind of lame.  
> Here’s a fun fact that I learned while doing research for this! According to Journal 3 (the actual physical book you can buy now at your local bookstore), what Fiddleford saw when he fell into the portal was Bill “removing his exoskeleton to feed”. If I have to be cursed with that knowledge, so do you.


	25. an ending

Ring…ring…

“Hello? Frisk, are you there?” Dipper asked. “You kind of disappeared on us, so I thought I’d…right, you don’t really talk a lot…guess I’ll leave a message.

“Well, it’s been a while. We’re starting to rebuild Gravity Falls. Mayor Cutebiker ordered us to never talk about what happened again, so hopefully you know what I’m talking about. I’ve been working with Grunkle Ford on reopening the Barrier, but we haven’t had much luck yet. It’s not exactly the way I thought we’d be spending our summer but…it’s better than being bored, I guess. The Mystery Shack’s more popular than ever, but…I’m a little worried about Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford. They’re still pretty mad at each other. Even Mabel can’t quite figure out how to fix it.

“Coraline wanted to work with Great Uncle Ford about the thing living in her apartment. She’s sealed up the door and hid the key, so it wouldn’t be bothering her anymore. But the Cat mentioned that he went back to check, and he couldn’t find it. I wonder if it disappeared the same time we killed Bill…oh, and don’t mention this to Coraline. I think she’s a lot more scared of it than she lets on.

“Norman’s parents were pretty mad at him. He said he doubted he’d ever be allowed to leave the house except for school. The zombies are gone, but a lot of the people in town are still blaming him for everything. He’s a bit worried about what’s going to happen next year if he can’t read the zombies to sleep.

“Wirt…we don’t know where Wirt is. He sort of disappeared after the battle. …I think I know where he went. I’m worried about him.

…oh, batteries’ running out. Better wrap this up. Call back. …Or text. Or something. Be seeing you!”

CLICK!

The game was over. And Frisk was alone.

Well, not really.

“Well, you did it,” said Flowey. “You won the video game. But is this the ending you wanted? Those friends of yours don’t sound too happy, do they? And you…I can’t imagine you’re happy with this ending. So why? Why did things have to end this way?”

Frisk had been thinking that as well. They eyed him suspiciously.

“Look, I’ll be honest here,” said Flowey. “You have more Determination than me. To manipulate the code, leave the Underground, add in new assets…I could never do that. So, why not put that power to use…and create a better ending?”

Could they? The idea of Resetting again terrified them, but they could not stay at this end screen forever. If they started a new game, then maybe they could set things right from the start. They wouldn’t have to worry about saving the Underground, or fixing any of their other mistakes. They could fix everything.

Frisk pointed to their Soul. If they were doing this, then they were doing it their way.

“Fine, whatever,” said Flowey. “I’ll take anything at this point. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to play a new game. See you real soon…”

* * *

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Undertale

Delete Undertale.exe

Are you sure? Y

Deleting Undertale.exe

Upload surveyprogram.exe

Rename surveyprogram.exe to deltarune.exe

Launch deltarune.exe

Launching…


	26. surveyprogram.exe

_Are you there?_

_Are we connected?_

_Good. Then we can begin._

*Create party *Create vessel

Launch: Create vessel

Load: BRVR.soul

Rename: Cora.soul

Equip-Weapon: Vorpal-Sword

Equip-Armor: Faded-Ribbon

Ability: Koumpounophobia

Give gift? Y

Gift: Ambition

Load: JSTC.soul

Rename: Wirt.soul

Soul corrupted. Proceed anyway? Y

Equip-Weapon: Dark-Lantern

Equip-Armor: Manly-Bandana

Ability: Song-of-the-Forest

Give gift? Y

Gift: Bravery

Load: KNDN.soul

Rename: Greg.soul

Equip-Weapon: Elephant-Hat

Equip-Armor: Stained-Apron

Ability: Heal-Song

Give gift? Y

Gift: Voice

Load: PTNC.soul

Rename: Norm.soul

Equip-Weapon: Tome-of-the-Unknown

Equip-Armor: Heart-Locket

Ability: Pacify

Give gift? Y

Gift: Kindness

Load: PRSRVR.soul

Rename:

…

Dip.soul

Equip-Weapon: Portal-Gun

Equip-Armor: Cloudy-Glasses

Ability: Coniferous-Buster

Give gift? Y

Gift: Voice

Load: NTGRT.soul

Rename: Mabl.soul

Equip-Weapon: Royal-Star-Wand

Equip-Armor: Old-Tutu

Ability: Starlight-Breaker

Gift gift? Y

Gift: Mind

Launch Create Party

Add Norm.soul

Add Cora.soul

Add Wirt.soul

Add Greg.soul

Add Dip.soul

Add Mabl.soul

How do you feel about your party? (They will not hear you): Hope

You acknowledge the possibility of pain and seizure

Party created


	27. Chapter 1

The carpet beneath her feet was the same carpet they had in her flat. The wallpaper was the same wallpaper they had. The picture that was hanging in the hallway was the same picture that they had hanging in their hallway. She knew where she was: she was in her own home. She hadn’t left.

But this was also the third time now that her home had been used against her, and honestly, Coraline was sick of it.

She stormed out of the Pink Palace, not even bothering to change into her school uniform or put on her raincoat. She only hesitated for a moment, trying to decide whether she should see what her parents looked like, before deciding that it did not matter if they had buttons in their eyes or not.

It was only once she stepped outside that she saw what was really going on. This was not the town of the Pink Palace. This was not the town of her home.

Coraline climbed the stairs up to Mr. Bobinsky’s door to get a better view. She wanted to jump up to the roof like she had seen him do so effortlessly, but she could not quite reach. But she could see enough from here. The garden and tennis court of the property and the overgrown meadows behind it were intact. However, that was where the similarities ended. What laid before her now was a town she could not recognize. It moved in a patchwork pattern, like puzzles pieces that belonged to different pictures that had been slammed together. There was a school and a librarby, and then there was a thick forest in the middle of town. There was a neighborhood, and there was the Mystery Shack, far less robotic than when Coraline had last seen it. Even the buildings looked radically different, some old and decrepit, others bright and new.

It was different than the Other Mother’s World or the Bubble, where everything had been perfect and new. This had to be something else. But who, and why?

She had to get to the Mystery Shack, Coraline realized. The Stans might know something, but more than that, she wanted to make sure the others were okay.

* * *

Dipper and Mabel were fine. It was the Mystery Shack they were worried about.

“Seriously, you don’t remember anything?” said Dipper. “Bill, Weirdmageddon, the Shack-tron…nothing?”

“We don’t remember it because it didn’t happen, kid.” said Grunkle Stan. “You must have been imagining it. Watched too much of those Japanese cartoons.”

“It’s anime, and you should know that because that’s how we built the Shack-tron,” said Mabel. “Great Uncle Ford, don’t you remember anything? Weren’t you in another dimension or something?”

“Of course not,” said Great Uncle Ford. “I’ve been here for the last 30 years, working on studying Weirdness with Stan.”

His words sounded almost robotic, like an actor who has said a line so many times that it lost all meaning. Dipper fought off the urge to shudder and slipped into the hallway.

Mabel may have only remembered the battle with Bill, but Dipper could still remember something else. It was more idea than memory, fragmented and fleeting, but it was there.

Dipper pulled the phone out of his vest pocket. It was not his phone. It was the phone Toriel had given them in the Underground, with modifications made by Alphys. There was only one recent call, with no timestamp and garbled text instead of a name. He hit redial anyway. He was met with a crash of static, piercing and pulsating. He scrambled to hang up, but he did not need to. The phone hung up on its own.

Dipper stormed back into the kitchen and grabbed Mabel by the sweater sleeve, careful but firm.

“We’re going to school,” said Dipper.

“It’s August,” said Mabel.

He ignored her until they were outside, away from prying Grunkle ears.

“I think something’s really wrong,” said Dipper.

“Yeah, no kidding!” said Mabel. “You have any ideas yet?”

“Not yet,” said Dipper. “I want to find the others first.”

He was not even sure if they could find the others. Maybe they were in another dimension entirely, and that was why he could not call them. Maybe they were in blissful ignorance, like Ford and Stan. But he was worried about them, Wirt most of all. He could be dead again, or worse. And after that phone call, he did not want to wait around to find out.

“I’m worried about them too,” said Mabel, sensing what Dipper was thinking. “But how are we going to find them? We don’t know where they are, we don’t know where we are—”

“I wasn’t lying,” said Dipper. “We’re going to school.”

“I was afraid you’d say that,” said Mabel.

* * *

Norman had wanted things to be normal. He wanted there to be some sort of reason why his grandmother sat with his parents, eating breakfast like nothing was wrong. He wanted to pretend that everything was alright as his father smiled at him. But he remembered Coraline and the other world, and he ran out of the house.

It was not fair. He only wanted to be normal. He only wanted to be treated better. Why did it have to be held against him?

“Norman!”

Coraline’s voice shook him out of his thoughts. He must have looked pretty terrible, because as soon as she was able to, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a big hug. Norman froze, not used to the contact from someone other than his mother. Was this something friends usually did? He never had enough human friends to ask, and his ghost friends would pass through his body. But it felt nice, so Norman decided to pretend it was.

“I’m sorry,” said Coraline. “It’s not fair. None of this is.”

“It’s okay,” said Norman. It wasn’t, but he would rather focus on solving the issue than wallow in self-pity. “This isn’t…her, is it?”

“I don’t think so,” said Coraline, breaking the hug. “It’s too normal to be her or Bill. It’s too weird to be anything else.”

She was shaken out of her thoughts as a car pulled up behind her. She spun around, not prepared for who she came face-to-face with.

“My children,” said Toriel. “Are you alright?”

That was Toriel alright. But she was different, far removed from the look of the caretaker of the Ruins. Instead of purple robes, she wore a purple cardigan and flowery skirt, with a pair of glasses perched on her snoot. It looked like something her mother would wear. It looked…normal.

“Uh,” said Coraline. She glanced over at Norman, looking just as confused as he felt.

“You will be late to school at this rate,” said Toriel. “Do you need a ride, perhaps?”

Ew, school? Still, it beat standing in the road. Besides, they might be able to ask Toriel some questions along the way.

“Sure,” said Norman, speaking for the both of them.

The car was designed to hold at least six people, but the backseats looked un-touched. There was no garbage or belongings left behind, and the seats were stiff, like they had not been used before. It was only a couple minute drive before they reached the school, not long enough for Norman to even figure out what questions were the right questions to ask.

The schoolhouse itself looked unfamiliar to Norman, even in the hodge-podge of memories she had collected. But Toriel seemed to have no indication that it was anything out of the ordinary as she led the two of them inside.

“Now then, my children,” said Toriel. “Is there anything else I can assist you with?”

The building was unfamiliar, the hallways were unfamiliar…but just over Toriel’s shoulder, Norman could spot someone familiar. Time to change plans, then.

“We should be good for now,” said Norman. “Thanks, Ms. Toriel. Maybe we can meet up after school?”

“Oh,” said Toriel. “You know that you two are always welcome in my classroom. I will make some tea just for the occasion!”

Seemingly satisfied, Toriel turned down the hallway and disappeared into a classroom, presumably hers.

Five humans met in the hallway.

“So, uh,” said Dipper. “This is weird right?”

“Real weird,” said Coraline.

“Super weird,” said Norman.

“Good, we’re all on the same page,” said Wirt.

“But, uh, where’s Greg?” said Norman.

“Outside, playing in the leaves,” said Wirt.

“And the other kid?”

No one had an answer. Even if they did, the ringing of the school bell ensured they could not answer it. Guess that means they have to go to class. They followed the gaggle of incoming monsters into a classroom.

“G-good morning, everyone!”

And that was obviously Alphys standing at the front of the classroom. Like Toriel, she had changed out of her usual, unusual clothing. If it weren’t for the fact that she was a three-foot lizard, she looked almost ordinary. She must be the teacher. 

No one bothered to say good morning back to her, least of all the humans. They filed into their desks, the humans hesitating for just a moment as they tried to figure out what desks were theirs.

Wirt took a seat near the window, where he could watch Greg. Greg spotted him as well. As if to make his point after the fact, he gestured to the school before sticking his tongue out and his thumb down. Wirt couldn’t blame him.

“O-okay, everyone,” said Alphys. “This month we’re going to be working on group projects. S-so go ahead and partner up.”

The five humans looked at each other. It was no questions that they would rather work with each other, just as it was no question that whatever they worked on was not going to be related to whatever group project Alphys had in mind.

“Uh, Dr. Alphys,” said Norman, raising his hand. “How many people in a group?”

“O-oh! W-well, I guess there’s an odd number of you…” said Alphys, like she had not even considered it before. “W-well, why don’t you go ahead and—”

The door slammed open, cutting her off. The monster that stood in the doorway was not one Coraline recognized. She stood at least a head taller than Norman, at least three heads over Alphys, with messy hair and torn clothes blocking most of her features. Norman could just make out a purple snout made of tough-looking scales, like an alligator or a dinosaur.

“O-o-oh, Susie,” said Alphys.

“…am I late?” the monster asked.

“N-not at all,” said Alphys. “W-we were just picking partners for the group project, and uh…Susie, you’re with Coraline!”

The monster stared at Coraline. Her expression was still hidden, so Norman could not tell if it was meant to be intimidating or confusing. Coraline met her gaze, unflinching.

“…fine,” said Susie.

“A-a-alright then,” said Alphys. “N-now that everyone’s here, I’ll go ahead and write the assignment…”

Susie did not sit down. Her gaze was still firmly focused on the humans.

“Uh…has anyone see the chalk?” said Alphys. “This is the third time it’s gone missing, and I can’t start class without it.”

No one said a word. Susie was still staring at them. It would have freaked Norman out, if there wasn’t twelve million other things he had to freak out about.

“Hey,” said a reindeer monster. “There might be some spare chalk in the storage closet.”

The humans exchanged a glance. They didn’t come here to do actual schoolwork, and there was no way they would be able to talk with Susie glaring over their shoulders.

“We’ll go,” said Coraline.

“A-all of you?” said Alphys.

“It could be well-hidden,” said Mabel.

They were out the door before Alphys could object further.

“That was a bust,” said Coraline.

“I feel like I’ve learned even less,” said Dipper.

The door swung open again, and Susie stepped out.

“…Alphys wanted me to make sure you actually got it,” said Susie. “So…are you skipping class or what?”

“Fine, we’ll get the stupid chalk,” said Wirt.

“…whatever,” said Susie, as she reached into her coat pocket and took a chomp out of—wait, was that chalk? It honestly did not mean anything to Wirt that she could have stolen chalk, but the fact that she was eating it like a cheese-stick made his skin crawl.

The six headed down the hallway, exchanging looks along the way. What was with her? Was she really that d̶e̶t̵e̸r̸m̷i̵n̴e̸d̵ to make sure they couldn’t come up with a better plan, or was she just--

“That’s the baby classroom, not the storage closet,” said Susie. “No, wait, let’s go down that way. Maybe I can find a better partner.”

Barely restraining their glares, the humans turned and followed Susie down a different hall.

“Well,” said Susie. “Here’s the closet. Too bad…we were getting to know each other…”

She opened the closet door, only to be met with darkness.

The five exchanged a look with one another. Even Susie looked uncertain.

“Uh, is it just me, or…” said Susie. “Is it, like, really dark in there?”

“I’m not afraid of the darkness,” said Wirt.

He moved forward, slightly bumping into Susie along the way. That just pissed her off even more. She shoved into the others as she stormed inside. The others followed in cautiously.

It was completely dark within the storage closet, with only the light from the hall behind them allowing them to see. However, as Norman reached towards the walls to find a light-switch, he could find nothing. No lights, no furniture, no walls. The more they moved forward, the more it seemed like the storage closet stretched on forever.

“I think this closet’s, uh…broken,” said Susie.

“Well, we did our best,” said Dipper. “Let’s just go back to class and get back to planning.”

The door slammed behind them.

“H-HEY!” Susie scrambled to the door.

She pulled on the knob, banged her fists against the door, kicked against the wall. Nothing would open the door.

Until it did.

“I saw you leave the classroom,” said Greg. “Are we skipping school now?”

“Wait, don’t--!”

Too late. Greg shut the door behind him as he stepped inside. Before anyone else could react, the floor beneath them began to shake. Norman took a few steps backwards, only to find the floor fall apart completely.

He fell.

Once upon a time, a legend was whispered among shadows.

It was a legend of HOPE. It was a legend of DREAMS.

It was a legend of LIGHT. It was a legend of DARK.

This is the legend of DELTARUNE.


	28. Chapter 2

**<!— Az: You have all the determination in the world, and this is the world you decide to create? -->**

**<!— Frisk: I wanted to give them the happy ending they deserved. That’s what you suggested, right? -- >**

**<!-- Az: I never said they deserved a happy ending. I told you to make a better game. One with more bloodshed and less…whatever it is you do. -->**

**<! – Frisk: It’s my game. I make the rules. -->**

**<! – Az: Whatever. What about those human friends of yours? -->**

**<! – Frisk: I don’t know. I thought they would have Reset with the rest of the world. -->**

**<! – Az: Are you going to try again? -->**

**<!—Frisk: …No, let’s leave it. It doesn’t matter if they remember the other timelines. They’re probably happier this way, anyway. -->**

It was too dark for Coraline to make anything out at first. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she was even less sure of what she was looking at. It looked like the Underground, with heavy stone walls and echoing caverns. But it was too dark to be the Underground, too lifeless.

As she pulled herself onto her feet, she realized she had changed. She had her raincoat again, but more striking was the breastplate under it. It was light enough to be her t-shirt, but clearly as strong as metal. A large bow sat on the back of her head. Sheathed to her leg was a sword, about as long as her forearm and glowing with a faint light.

“Hello?” said Coraline. “Norman? Susie? Anyone?”

Her voice echoed off the cavern walls.

Summoning her bravery, she pressed forward. The caverns were quiet, too quiet, so she hummed along to herself to break the silence. 

The further she went, the darker it became. The darker it became, the more Coraline began to worry. It became harder to stay brave, and just as her song was about to turn into a cry, she saw a light.

It was a lantern, but Coraline cared more about the person holding it. Wirt stood behind the lantern, and behind him were the others. They had changed outfits as well. Each one of them had different parts of armor; Norman wore a breastplate like hers, Dipper had armor covering his entire right arm, and Mabel her left, and Wirt and Greg wore random bits of greaves and cuisses that covered about half their legs. Between the six of them, they could probably make one complete suit of armor. Beneath that, their clothes had also changed. Greg now had an apron that was two sizes too big around his torso, Wirt had a bandana wrapped around his neck, and Dipper had a pair of goggles resting above the brim of his hat. Mabel had changed completely, now wearing a purple sweater with the symbol of the Underground in white that looked too much like Toriel’s robes, with a matching purple skirt. The only one who looked like he had not changed clothes was Norman, but maybe Coraline just could not tell what was different in the darkness.

“There you are,” said Wirt, breathing a sigh. “We were getting worried.”

“I’m still worried,” said Coraline. “This place is even weirder.”

“Maybe,” said Greg, “But at least it’s honest with how scary it is, unlike that other place.”

The others started to debate with Greg, but Coraline tuned them out. Her attention turned to the giant dust piles behind them. One was moving.

Coraline inched closer and closer, as slowly as she dared lest she get spotted. Using her sword, she poked at the cloud of dust. It collapsed.

“H-hey! Back off! C-come any closer and I’ll…”

Susie had only become more vibrant in the darkness, her dark purple skin and darker hair now looking more magenta. She had a costume change as well, clothes that were more deliberately punk and less disheveled, but she lacked the armor the humans had gained.

“Phew, it’s just you,” said Susie. “D-don’t scare me like that, dumbass! Unless you want to get clocked in the face!”

Coraline rolled her eyes, d̶e̶t̵e̸r̸m̷i̵n̴e̸d̵ to make sure Susie knew she was not scared of her.

“Do you know what this place is?” She asked.

“Are you joking?” said Susie. “You got us into this mess, you get us out!”

“We’re just as in the dark as you are, Susie,” said Wirt.

“Yeah, right,” said Susie. “And am I just supposed to assume that six humans just showed up out of nowhere and have nothing to do with all this weird shit going on?”

“Hey guys?” said Greg.

“Not now, Greg,” said Wirt. “So you mean you’ve never seen us before?”

“Of course not!” said Susie. “There’s never been any humans in Hometown!”

“Guys,” said Greg.

“But that doesn’t make sense,” said Dipper. “Alphys recognized us, and Toriel recognized you guys, and no one else in class acted like there was anything wrong…”

“Guys!” said Greg. “Someone up there is waving at us!”

Their gaze drifted upwards. There was someone standing at the edge of the cliff above them, too hidden in the shadows to make out properly. Wirt raised the lantern, but was met with two spade-shaped monster bullets.

“Run!” said Dipper.

It was not a regular monster fight. Even as she ran away, the spade bullets followed her, brushing up against the Soul that had burst from her chest. It seemed the storm of bullets was endless, even when the road they were running on wasn’t.

“Quick, this way!” said Susie as she jumped into the darkness.

It was not like she had much choice. Coraline followed her.

* * *

It took Wirt a second to get back up to his feet after that fall. He had fallen for so long, he was surprised that he did not take any damage.

“Oh, you’re not dead. Sweet,” said Susie. She sounded a little disappointed. “Any idea what this place is?”

They no longer had to rely on his lantern for light. The street in front of them was illuminated by blue-flame torches. The buildings looked like someone out of a fairy tale, untouched by time. And perhaps they were untouched by anyone, because the streets were absolutely empty. At the end of the road, a castle loomed before the empty town. A black geyser emerged from it, piercing endlessly into the sky.

“Why the hell is there a castle inside a supply closet?” said Susie, once they had all recovered from the fall and started to press forward.

“I don’t think we’re in the supply closet anymore…” said Coraline.

“Greetings, heroes…”

“Who’s there?” said Wirt.

“Do not be alarmed,” said the voice. “I am not your enemy. Please come forward, all of you…”

The figure waited for them at the steps of the castle. Even with Wirt’s lantern, they were completely shrouded in the darkness.

“Welcome,” said the stranger. “I am the Prince of this Kingdom, the Kingdom of Darkness. There is a legend in this land. A legend that one day heroes of light will arrive, and fulfill the ancient prophecy foretold by time and space. Please, heroes, listen to my tale.”

The seven heroes shared a glance with each other.

“Uh…no thanks,” said Wirt. “We’re kind of already on our own quest, we don’t need anyone else’s.”

“Umm r-really? Are you sure?” said the stranger. “It's fairly important. And... um, in my opinion, it's a really nice prophecy! I think you'd quite like it!”

“I wanna hear it,” said Greg.

“Fine, whatever,” said Wirt.

“Phew!” said the stranger. “Um, very well then…

Once upon a time, a legend was whispered among shadows.

It was a legend of HOPE. It was a legend of DREAMS.

It was a legend of LIGHT. It was a legend of DARK.

This is the legend of DELTARUNE.

For millennia, light and darkness have lived in balance, bringing peace to the WORLD. But if this harmony were to shatter…a terrible calamity would occur.

The sky will run black with terror, and the land will crack with fear. Then, her heart pounding, the EARTH will draw her final breath. Only then, shining with h̸͔̅ǒ̷̱p̶̱̎e̷̹̕, three HEROES appear at WORLD’s edge. Only they can seal the fountains and banish the ANGEL’S HEAVEN. Only then will balance be restored, and the WORLD saved from destruction.

Today, the FOUNTAIN OF DARKNESS—the geyser that gives this land form—stands tall at the center of the kingdom. But recently, another fountain has appeared on the horizon. And with it, the balance of LIGHT and DARK begins to shift…

I truly believe that you are the Heroes of the Legend. That despite whatever enemies you may face…you have the courage to save the world. Please, won’t you accept your destiny?”

“Can we…” said Wirt. “Talk about this first?”

He turned around and pulled the others close, trying his best to prevent this Prince of Darkness from overhearing them.

“So, is any of this familiar to anyone?” said Wirt.

The others shook their heads.

“It can’t be the Underground,” said Dipper. “We saw the monsters on the surface!”

“We did fall underground, though,” said Mabel.

“We still don’t know what was going on up there, anyway,” said Coraline. “We should be focusing on that before we get involved in any more prophecies.”

“But we’re gonna be down here anyway,” said Norman. “So why not try and help some people out?”

“It’s none of my business,” said Susie. “The end of the world might even be kind of fun.”

“You live in this world—” said Coraline.

She was cut off by the sound of an explosion behind her.

Where the stranger once sat was now another monster on a bicycle. The monster was obviously young, but unlike other monsters they had run in to, he did not seem to be made from anything. He was somewhat humanoid and just slightly shorter than Greg, with paper-white skin and black and blue clothing that seemed to blend in with each other. His face was obscured by a blue hood, casting a spade-shaped shadow.

“Ho ho ho,” said the monster. “The heroes are already running away…and they didn’t even know I was here. My dad’s gonna make me Son of the Month!”

“Who the hell are you?” said Susie.

“I’m…” the monster did wheelies on his bike, as if to emphasize his point. “The bad guy! So you clowns want to seal our Dark Fountain, huh? And—still picturing you guys as clowns—save the world from eternal darkness?”

“Well…” said Wirt.

“Don’t try to deny it!” said the bad guy. “We both know you’ll head East! It’s your only way home! But I, Lancer, won’t let you get there! I’ve got a flawless plan to ensure it! One: I thrash you. Two: you lose!”

“Hmm…” said Susie. “Nice plan.”

“R-really?” said Lancer.

“Yeah. Mind if we use it on you instead?”

Lancer busts in!

**WIRT HP 90/90**

***FIGHT *ACT *ITEM *DEFEND *SPARE**

**TP 0%**

What was that? The image was gone just as quickly as it had appeared, and the fight began.

The others looked just as uncertain as he felt. They exchanged looks at one another, wondering who would act, and how.

“Uh,” said Mabel. “I’m not sure where your body ends and your clothes begin?”

Lancer preened at the compliment.

Susie, on the other hand, had no qualms about fighting. She lunged towards Lancer, axe at the ready.

“Lancer, look out!” said Greg.

Lancer wheelied out of the way of Susie’s attack.

“Thanks, clowns!” said Lancer.

Whatever good will Wirt felt in protecting Lancer soon faded as Lancer’s turn began. He blazed towards them, ready to run their Souls over. Wirt barely had enough time to jump out of the way. Instead of crashing into the wall like he had h̸͔̅ ǒ̷̱p̶̱̎e̷̹̕d, Lancer kept charging forward. His bike scaled the castle walls. Lancer threw out more spade-shaped bullets as he flipped onto the ceiling.

**TP 2%**

“Wait, wait a second!” said Lancer. “My bike’s running out of fuel. Alright you punk-a-roos! You had the luck of the draw this time, but next time the losers will be you! See you later, losers! I gotta get home before dinner!”

**You won!**

**Got 0 EXP and 35D$!**

“Are you all alright?” said the Prince of the dark.

The prince had been knocked to his feet in the scuffle, his hood discarded, but that hardly mattered. His body was still covered in thick robes, minty green and hand-stitched, and his face was still covered by a wizard-like hat. But it was enough for them to see wild tuffs of hair sticking out of from where his head was supposed to be, a pair of glasses and the light it reflected giving him some sense of a face, and a berry-red scarf wrapped around his neck.

“Um…perhaps I should introduce myself…” said the Prince. “I’m Ralsei. It’s ever so wonderful to meet you! I’m sure we’re going to become great friends and—”

“Best way out of here is East, right?” said Susie.

“Yes! That’s where we’ll—”

“Got it,” said Susie. “See you at school. Or, you know, maybe not.”

She was gone before anyone could stop her. Although, Wirt was not sure if any of them wanted to make the attempt.

“Well,” said Ralsei. “Guess it’s just us, then.” 


End file.
